Oligodon signatus ( Ģnther, 1864 )

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 : 171-172

Oligodon signatus ( Ģnther, 1864) — Native.

Simotes signatus Ģnther, 1863: 250 (nomen nudum).

Simotes signatus Günther, 1864: 215 , pl. 20, fig. F, F′. Syntypes (2): BMNH 1946.1 .3.20 and 1946.1.3.25; Wallach et al. (2014: 503) noted that Smith (1943: 529) designated BMNH 1946.1 .3.20 as lectotype, but Smith only mentioned that the type specimen is at BMNH. Type locality: “ Singapore ”.

Barred Kukri Snake

( Figure 19G )

Singapore records.

Simotes signatus — Ģnther, 1863: 350.— Ģnther, 1864: xviii, 215.—Theobald, 1876: 228.— Dennys, 1881a: 2.—Sclater, 1891a: 25.— Boulenger, 1894: 226.— Flower, 1896: 885.— Flower, 1899: 672.— Hanitsch, 1899: 12 (Botanic Gardens).—Ridley, 1899: 198, 208.— Boulenger, 1912: 150.— Hanitsch, 1912b: 16.— de Rooij, 1917: 125.

Holarchus signatus —Sworder, 1923: 64.

Oligodon signatus — Smith, 1943: 529.— de Haas, 1950: 557.—Tweedie, 1952: 6 (Thomson Road).— Tweedie, 1953: 48.—Tweedie, 1954: 109.—Tweedie, 1961: 50.—D.H. Murphy, 1973: 59 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).—Tweedie, 1983: 53.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 146.—K.K.P. Lim, 1993b: 1 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).—K.K.P. Lim & Subaraj, 1994: 5 (Shinto Temple [MNF]).—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—K.K.P. Lim, 1994b: 331.—L.M. Chou, 1995: 148.—R. Subaraj et al., 1995: 2 (MacRitchie North [MNF]).—K. Lim et al., 1995: 13 (Rifle Range Road).—K. Lim, 1995: 15 (Seletar Track [Three-Stone Hill, NSSF]).— David & Vogel, 1996: 103.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 382 (MacRitchie North Forest; Taban & Lasia Valleys [BTNR]; Three-Stone Hill [NSSF]).— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 75.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.—T.M. Leong & L.L. Grismer, 2004: 15.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 105, 161.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 164, 265.—Tillack & R. Ģnther, 2009: 280.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 272.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 105, 161.— Das, 2012a: 58.—Vassilieva 2013: 243.—Xu & Y.T. Teo, 2013: 82, 83 (Chestnut Track [CTF]).—Stuebing et al., 2014: 197.— et al., Thomas & J. Chua, 2014: 163, 164 (MacRitchie Reservoir Forest).—Wallach et al., 2014: 503.—M.A.H. Chua, 2015c: 59.—I.S. Law & Groenewoud, 2015a: 41 (MacRitchie forest near Venus Drive [WNP]).— Das, 2018: 70.—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 163, 181 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).— Charlton, 2020: 185.—K.H. Koh, 2020: 222.—K.K.P. Lim, 2020: 2, 5 (Sime Road Internment Camp [= SICC]).—I.T. Law et al., 2022: 1 (Bukit Batok Nature Park).

Holarchus purpurascens — Cross, 2020g: 1, 2 (Sime Road Camp).— Cross, 2020k: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020l: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).

Remarks. Tillack & Ģnther (2009) noted that several authors called into question the occurrence of O. signatus in Singapore, beginning with Ģnther (1864) who noted that the two specimens he examined are “said to be from Singapore; but whether this is their real native place, or they have been merely procured there, is uncertain”. It is likely that subsequent authors are referring to Ģnther (1864). However, not long after Ģnther (1864), Sclater (1891) reported a specimen collected by Davison, and Hanitsch (1899) reported a specimen collected by Ridley at SBG in March 1897 which he found under a pile of tiles (Ridley 1899). The first report of O. signatus from Singapore comes from Ģnther (1863) who noted that NHMUK procured new specimens in 1863. A year later, Ģnther (1864) used the specimens to describe O. signatus as a new species, but he was unsure whether the specimens originated from Singapore ( Table 1 ). In addition, he described each specimen as a variety. Indeed, Boulenger (1894) indicated that Hardwicke and Haslar collected the two specimens from Singapore. Cross (2020g, k) recorded a few individuals in 1944 that went unpublished until now ( Lim 2020). Later, Tweedie (1952) reported ZRC.2.3872 donated by Southwell-Sander in 1951 that was collected from Thomson Road, and he also referenced ZRC.2.3871 which was also collected from Thomson Road in November 1904. Murphy (1973) mentioned O. signatus was found at BTNR, but field observations were not made until 41 years later ( Table 2 ) when a roadkill was found on the main road of BTNR on 27 August 1993 ( Lim 1993b). Thereafter, O. signatus was reported several times from around CNR, mainly as roadkill ( Lim & Subaraj 1994; Subaraj et al. 1995; Lim et al. 1995; Lim 1995; Teo & Rajathurai 1997). The only reported observations after this time was of one photographed at NSSF on 24 December 2010 (R. Ngiam pers. comm.), one being eaten by a Calliophis bivirgatus (Xu & Teo 2013) , three from around MacRitchie (Thomas & Chua 2014; Law & Groenewoud 2015a), one encountered during the BTNR surveys (Teo & Thomas 2019), and one seen at BBNP on 13 August 2021 ( Law et al. 2022). The individual illustrated in Figure 19G was photographed at RRNP on 7 August 2017 (A. Figueroa pers. obs.). A photograph posted on Facebook by ‘Acura’ of one at NTU in December 2010 is the only record outside of the Central Forests. LKCNHM also has specimens from 1969, 2000, 2010, 2013, and 2017, and BPBM has one collected by Hendrickson from ENAF on 26 February 1959.

Occurrence. Restricted to CNR and surrounding Nature Parks and forests, and one record adjacent to WC. Uncommon.

Singapore conservation status. Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2013].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1946.1 .3.20 (no date) [holotype], BMNH 1946.1 . 3.25 (no date) [holotype]; Botanic Gardens : ZRC. 2.3873 (Aug-1898); Bukit Kalang [ SRF] : ZRC.2.6919 (28-Oct-2010); Bukit Timah : ZRC. 2.3958 (4-Sep-1896); Bukit Timah Forest [ BTNR] : ZRC.2.3203 (15-Jul-1969); Bukit Timah Nature Reserve : ZRC.2.3388 (27-Aug-1993); Hume Heights : ZRC. 2.4842 (15-Jan-2000); Kampung Trail , Durian Loop [ RRNP] : ZRC . 2.7274 (11-Jul-2017); MacRitchie Forest [ MNF] : ZRC.2.3400 (14-Aug-1994); Old Upper Thomson Road : ZRC.2.7007 (05- May-2013); Thomson Road : ZRC.2.3871 (Nov-1904) , ZRC.2.3872 (1951).

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): ZMUC; Eng Neo Avenue Forest: BPBM.

Singapore localities. Bukit Batok Nature Park—Bukit Timah (not specified)—Bukit Timah Nature Reserve— Chestnut Track Forest—Eng Neo Avenue Forest—Hume Heights—MacRitchie North Forest—Nanyang Technological University Jurong Campus—Nee Soon Swamp Forest—Old Upper Thomson Road—Rifle Range Nature Park—Rifle Range Road—Sime Road Forest—Singapore Botanic Gardens—Singapore Island Country Club—Thomson Road—Windsor Nature Park.

Genus Ptyas Fitzinger, 1843 (3 species)

Macrops (Ptyas) Fitzinger, 1843: 26 (type species: Coluber blumenbachii Merrem, 1820 [= Coluber mucosus Linnaeus, 1758 ], by original designation; gender feminine).

Figures

FIGURE 19. A) Liopeltis tricolor, B) Lycodon capucinus, C) Lycodon subannulatus, D) Lycodon subcinctus, E) Oligodon octolineatus, F) Oligodon purpurascens, G) Oligodon signatus, and H) Ptyas carinata. Photographs by: Evan S.H. Quah [A], Alex Figueroa [B, E, G], Mary-Ruth Low [C], Daniel J.J. Ng [D], Benjamin Y.H. Lee [F], and Law Ing Sind [H],