Xenelaphis hexagonotus (Cantor, 1847)

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 : 176-177

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:78E23714-8973-4755-BC94-0A751D7D2B37

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7967950

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/88502B73-FF35-B8C6-FF6B-438F78740996

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Xenelaphis hexagonotus (Cantor, 1847)
status

 

Xenelaphis hexagonotus (Cantor, 1847) View in CoL — Native.

Coluber hexahonotus Cantor, 1847: 921 , 922. Holotype: BMNH 1946.1 .14.86, by original designation. Type locality: “Great Hill of Pinang ” (= Penang Island ), Peninsular Malaysia.

Malayan Brown Snake

( Figure 20C View FIGURE 20 )

Singapore records.

Coryphodon hexahonotus [sic]— Ģnther, 1858b: 110.

Coluber hexahonotus [sic]—Peters, 1859: 269.

Xenelaphis hexahonotus [sic]— Ģnther, 1864: xx, 251.—Theobald, 1868a: 46.—F. M̧ller, 1887: 263.— Hoffmann, 1890b: 1692.

Xenelaphis hexagonotus View in CoL — Boulenger, 1894: 8.— Flower, 1896: 882.— Flower, 1899: 667.—Ridley, 1899: 208.— Boulenger, 1912: 139.— Hanitsch, 1912b: 16.— de Rooij, 1917: 93.—Sworder, 1923: 63.— de Haas, 1950: 546.—F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 116.—K. Lim, 1990a: 7 (Seletar Reservoir; Seletar Reservoir Park [USRP]).—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 66, 146.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—K. Lim, 1995: 15 (Dairy Farm Path [BTNR).— David & Vogel, 1996: 111.— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 396.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 383.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 36.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 85.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 147.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 108, 161.— Das, 2010: 302.—D.C.J. Yeo et al., 2010: 154.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 272.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 108, 161.— Das, 2012a: 69.— Gumprecht & Schulz, 2013: 410.—Schulz, 2013: 197.—N. Baker, 2014b: 16–18 (Upper Seletar Reservoir Park).—Wallach et al., 2014: 795.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 172.— de Lang, 2017: 193.— Das, 2018: 80.—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 164, 181 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, after R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997).— Charlton, 2020: 199.

Xenelaphis hexagonatus [sic]— Hanitsch, 1898: 20.— Buddle, 1929: 19 (Sembawang Naval Base [= SML]).—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 265.

Remarks. Xenelaphis hexagonotus is a rare snake in Singapore ( Baker & Lim 2012), and has only been reported a few times. Ģnther (1858b) first reported it from Singapore from two specimens belonging to Hardwicke’s collection and one collected by Blanford ( Boulenger 1894). Peters (1859) listed a specimen at ZMB collected by Jagor, and Hanitsch (1898) and Ridley (1899) mentioned specimens at the Raffles Museum, but did not provide any details. Flower (1896) commented that he collected two specimens in Singapore, but did not provide detailed locality data. Subsequently, Buddle (1929) collected two at SNB, then X. hexagonotus was not documented again in Singapore until 61 years later ( Table 2 View TABLE 2 ) on 4 May 1990 when one was observed swallowing a Monopterus albus at USRP, and two others were seen on 23 May 1990, also at USRP ( Lim 1990a). Five years later, a snake resembling X. hexagonotus was seen at BTNR, but was not confirmed (Lim 1995). Teo & Thomas (2019) informed that one of the records reported by Teo & Rajathurai (1997) was from BTNR, likely referring to Lim (1995). The last, and only other published account of X. hexagonotus , is of three individuals seen in streams at USRP, two on 18 and 20 September 2005 and one on 2 October 2010 ( Fig. 20C View FIGURE 20 ) ( Baker 2014b). Three unpublished records include one observed eating a fish at LPF on September 2015 (Jayasri pers. comm.), two captured during aquatic biodiversity surveys in May 2016 (T. Li pers. comm.), and a juvenile seen at MacRitchie on 27 September 2018 (D. Ng pers. comm.). In addition, the LKCNHM has two specimens from 1917 and one from 1966.

Occurrence. Restricted to CNR and surrounding Nature Parks. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Critically Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1888.7 .10.4 (no date) , BMNH 1930.12 .2.2 (no date) , BMNH 1969.2703 2704 (no date); Botanic Gardens : ZRC.2.4364 (Apr-1897) , ZRC.2.4363 (05-Sep-1917) , ZRC.2.4362 (03-Oct-1917) ; MacRitchie Forest [ MNF] : ZRC.2.7335 (27- Jul-2018) ; Mandai : ZRC.2.2588 (03-Jul-1966) ; Nee Soon Swamp Forest : ZRC.2.2606 (23-May-1990) , ZRC.2.5531 (14-Oct-2002) ; Rifle Range Road : ZRC.2.6063 (06-May-2004) ; Seletar Reservoir South : ZRC.2.2599 (04-May-1990) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): CAS, ZMB; Mandai Road: CAS.

Singapore localities. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Lower Peirce Forest—MacRitchie (not specified)—MacRitchie North Forest—Mandai Road—Nee Soon Swamp Forest—Rifle Range Road—Sembawang Naval Base*— Singapore Botanic Gardens*—Upper Seletar Reservoir Park.

Subfamily Natricinae Bonaparte, 1838 (5 species)

Natricinae Bonaparte, 1838: 392 (type genus Natrix Laurenti, 1768 ).

Genus Hebius Thompson, 1913 (1 species)

Hebius Thompson, 1913: 424 (type species: Tropidonotus vibakari H. Boie in F. Boie, 1826, by monotypy; gender masculine).

NHMUK

Natural History Museum, London

ZRC

Zoological Reference Collection, National University of Singapore

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Colubridae

Genus

Xenelaphis

Loc

Xenelaphis hexagonotus (Cantor, 1847)

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P. 2023
2023
Loc

Xenelaphis hexagonatus

Buddle, R. 1929: 19
Hanitsch, R. 1898: 20
1898
Loc

Xenelaphis hexagonotus

Das, I. 2018: 80
de Lang, R. 2017: 193
Baker, N. 2014: 16
Gumprecht, A. & Schulz, K. - D. 2013: 410
Das, I. 2012: 69
Das, I. 2010: 302
Lim, K. P. & Lim, F. L. K. 2002: 147
Iskandar, D. T. & Colijn, E. 2001: 85
Manthey, U. & Grossmann, W. 1997: 396
David, P. & Vogel, G. 1996: 111
Chou L. M. & Ng, P. K. L. & Lim, K. K. P. 1994: 105
Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K. 1992: 66
Lim, K. 1990: 7
de Haas, C. P. J. 1950: 546
de Rooij, N. 1917: 93
Boulenger, G. A. 1912: 139
Hanitsch, R. 1912: 16
Flower, S. S. 1899: 667
Flower, S. S. 1896: 882
Boulenger, G. A. 1894: 8
1894
Loc

Xenelaphis hexahonotus

Hoffmann, C. K. 1890: 1692
1890
Loc

Coryphodon hexahonotus

Gnther, A. 1858: 110
1858
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