Calliophis gracilis Gray, 1835

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, Zootaxa 5287 (1), pp. 1-378 : 192

Calliophis gracilis Gray, 1835 — Native; Indeterminate.

Calliophis gracilis Gray, 1835 [in 1832–1835]: pl. 86, figs. 1–3, caption. Holotype: BMNH 1946.1 .19.17, by original designation. Type locality: “ Penang ”, Peninsular Malaysia .

Spotted Coral Snake ( Figure 21H )

Singapore records.

Elaps nigromaculatus Cantor, 1839a: 33 .— Cantor, 1847c: 1029, 1071, 1074, 1078.— Flower, 1899: 614.

Callophis gracilis — Ģnther, 1864: xxiii, 349.—Theobald, 1876: 230.— Davison, 1892: 92.— Boulenger, 1896: 397.— Flower, 1896: 894.— Flower, 1899: 692.—Ridley, 1899: 209.— Boulenger, 1912: 203.— de Rooij, 1917: 250.—Sworder, 1923: 72.— de Haas, 1950: 600.

Calliophis gracilis —K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 148.—Golay et al., 1993: 123.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.— David & Vogel, 1996: 150.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 38.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 124.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 148.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 169.— Das, 2010: 315.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 169.—Wallach et al., 2014: 145.— Cox et al., 2018: 60.— Charlton, 2020: 229.

Remarks. One of Singapore’s rarest snakes, C. gracilis is known from only two specimens, one collected in 1839 and one in 1897. The first was reported by Cantor (1839a) who described it as a new species, Elaps nigromaculatus ( Table 1 ), which Ģnther (1864) later synonymised with C. gracilis . The second specimen was collected by Flower in October 1897 ( Flower 1899). Neither of the two authors provided locality data, but we consider BTNR as the most likely location since C. gracilis prefers hilly habitats (Tweedie 1983; Chan & Norhayati 2009).

Occurrence. Only known from two specimens predating 1899. Likely extirpated.

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated.

Conservation priority. Immediate priority, if rediscovered.

IUCN conservation status. Data Deficient [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): BMNH 1898.4 .2.27 (no date).

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. No published localities.

Figures

FIGURE 21. A) Xenochrophis vittatus, B) Sibynophis melanocephalus, C) Cylindrophis ruffus, D) Aipysurus eydouxii, E) Aipysurus eydouxii, F) Bungarus fasciatus, G) Calliophis bivirgatus, and H) Calliophis gracilis. Photographs by: Thio Hui Bing [A], Alex Figueroa [B], Nick Baker [C], Kelvin K.P. Lim [D], Ria Tan [E], Law Ing Sind [F], Mary-Ruth Low [G], and Evan S.H. Quah [H].