Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803)

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 : 223-225

Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803) — Native.

Eryx braminus Daudin,1803:279–280 . Lectotype:specimen described and illustrated in Russell (1796:48,pl. 43), designated by Wallach et al. (2014: 626). Type locality: “au Vizagapatam" (= Vishakhapatnam ), India; later restricted to “Vizagapatam, coast of Coromandel, India ” [= Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh State, SE India, 17°41’N, 83°13’E, elevation 25 m] via lectotype designation.

Brahminy Blind Snake

( Figure 25G ; Nassim Road)

Singapore records.

Typhlops braminus — Cantor, 1847b: 899.— Cantor, 1847c: 1069, 1076.— Boulenger, 1896: 584.— Flower, 1896: 876.— Flower, 1899: 653.— Hanitsch, 1899: 12.—Ridley, 1899: 207.— Hanitsch, 1912b: 15.—Sworder, 1923: 59.—Smedley, 1931b: 49.— de Haas, 1950: 514.— Harman, 1961: 182.— Chuang, 1973: 4.—F.L.K. Lim, 1984: 17.— Choo-Toh et al., 1985: 118 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).— Cross, 2020e: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]) .— Cross, 2020h: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]) .— Cross, 2020m: 1, 5 (Bukit Timah Golf Course [= SICC]) .— Cross, 2020n: 2, 7 (Changi; Sime Road Camp [= SICC]) .

Typhlops bramineus [sic]—D.S. Johnson, 1964: 26.

“Common Blind Snake”— Kwok, 1986: 125 (Science Centre Road).

Ramphotyphlops braminus — Hall, 1988: 89 (Pasir Panjang Hill).—F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 115.— K.P. Lim, 1990: 7 (Changi South Beach; Woodlands).—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 53.— Subharaj & K.K.P. Lim, 1991a: 3 (Botanical Gardens).—F.L.K. Lim, 1991: 51.—D.S. Johnson, 1992: 37.—K.K.P. Lim & Subharaj, 1992: 5 (King’s Avenue).—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 52, 145.—K.K.P. Lim & Subaraj, 1994: 5 (Jalan Suasa).—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 106.—L.M. Chou, 1995: 146.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 378.— Cox et al., 1998: 12.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 38.— Gill et al., 2001: 354.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 13.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.— Anonymous, 2003: 92 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).— de Lang & Vogel, 2005: 218.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 90, 160.—Wallach, 2009: 50.— Das, 2010: 348.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 244.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 90, 160.— Das, 2012a: 137.— Chim, 2014: 112 (Saint John’s Island).—Wallach et al., 2014: 626.—S. Subaraj, 2015: 3 (Upper Seletar Peninsula [= USNF]).—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 179 (Pulau Tekong).—W. Wong, 2017: 52.—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2019: 134 (Kent Ridge Park; National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus).

Ramphotyphlops sp. —Huang & P. Lee, 2014: 259.

Indotyphlops braminus — Ineich et al., 2017: 2.— Das, 2018: 154.— Charlton, 2020: 56.—K.K.P. Lim, 2020: 4 (Bukit Timah Golf Course [= SICC]; Changi; Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).

Ramphotyphlops brahminus [sic]—H.C. Ho et al., 2019: 125 (Alexandra Woodlands).

Remarks. Indotyphlops braminus occupies a global distribution having been recorded in at least 84 countries (Wallach 2009; Wallach et al. 2014), all owing to human facilitation (Taylor 1965). The type locality of I. braminus is India (Wallach et al. 2014), and Wallach (2009) stated that it is likely native to southern and eastern Asia, particularly Sri Lanka and southern India. As such, we regard I. braminus as native to Singapore. Cantor (1847b) was the first to report I. braminus from Singapore. Boulenger (1896) examined two specimens at NHMUK collected by Ridley, and Hanitsch (1899) listed a specimen collected by Gibbs in April 1898. After Smedley (1931a) examined a specimen collected on 18 July 1930, I. braminus went unreported for 31 years ( Table 2 ) until Harman (1961) collected one. Cross (2020n) recorded a few from Bukit Timah Golf Course, Changi, Sime Road Internment Camp in 1944 and 1945 that went unpublished until now ( Lim 2020). Despite how common I. braminus is ( Baker & Lim 2012), it has not been reported many times (see records above), but there are a number of specimens at LKCNH dating back to 25 October 1922.

Occurrence. Ubiquitous. Common.

Singapore conservation status. Least Concern.

Conservation priority. Lowest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2021].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1895.1.8.4–5 (no date), ZRC.2.3057 (18-Jun-1930) , ZRC.2.3058 (11-May-1932), Singapore (no locality) : ZRC.2.3059 (23-May-1932) , ZRC.2.3052 (1965); Albert Court Hotel : ZRC.2.6322 (19-Dec-2006); Alligator Island [Pulau Pawai] : ZRC.2.5940 (May-1933); Ayer Rajah Road [= NUS Kent Ridge] : ZRC.2.3046– ZRC.2.3049 (03-Mar-1977); Botanic Garden : ZRC.2.3289 (17-Jul-1991); Bukit Batok Street 52 : ZRC.2.5706 (14- Mar-2003); Bukit Timah: ZRC.2.3054 (1968); Bukit Timah Campus [ NUS]: ZRC.2.6367 (22-Oct-1980) ; Changi : ZRC.2.3060 (Feb-1928) , ZRC.2.5487 (2001), Clementi Central : ZRC.2.4627 (31-Aug-1999) ; Dover Road : ZRC.2.2666 (25-Jul-1990) ; Fort Canning Park : ZRC.2.2538 (29-Jan-1990) ; Fort Road: ZRC.2.2537 (1989); Jalan Hang Jebat : ZRC.2.5725 (01-Jul-2003) ; Lengkok Marah : ZRC.2.7014 (16- Jan-2013) ; Marine Parade : ZRC.2.6734 (15-Jul-2008) ; Nassim Road: ZRC.2.3056 (1922); NUS Kent Ridge : ZRC.2.6016 (23-Feb-2001) ; RAF Seletar [= Seletar Air Base]: BMNH 1983.958 – 960 (no date); Sembawang : ZRC.2.3053 (27-Nov-1988) ; St. John’s Island : ZRC.2.7015 (23-May-2013) ; Stamford Road: ZRC.2.3040 (1967); Telok Kurau : ZRC.2.6492 (01-Aug-2007) ; Woodlands Road : ZRC.2.3055 (25-Oct-1922) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): CAS, MCZ, NMI, RMNH, ROM, ZFMK, ZMUC; Kheam Hock Road: BPBM; University of Malaya [= NUS Bukit Timah]: BPBM.

Singapore localities. Albert Court Hotel—Alexandra Woodlands—Bukit Batok Street 52—Bukit Timah (not specified)—Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Changi—Changi South Beach—Clementi Central—Dover Road—Fort Canning Park—Fort Road—Jalan Hang Jebat—Jalan Suasa—Kent Ridge Park—Kheam Hock Road—King’s Avenue—Lengkok Marah—Marine Parade—Nassim Road—National University of Singapore Bukit Timah Campus—National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus—Pasir Panjang Hill—Pulau Pawai—Pulau Tekong—Saint John’s Island—Seletar Air Base—Sembawang—Science Centre Road—Singapore Botanic Gardens—Singapore Island Country Club—Stamford Road—Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve—Telok Kurau—Upper Seletar North Forest—Woodlands Road.

Figures

FIGURE 25. A) Asthenodipsas laevis, B) Pareas margaritophorus, C) Malayopython reticulatus, D) Python brongersmai, E) Python brongersmai, F) Argyrophis muelleri, G) Indotyphlops braminus, and H) Ramphotyphlops lineatus. Photographs by: Evan S.H. Quah [A, E], Alex Figueroa [B–C, G], Kelvin K.P. Lim [D, H], and Nick Baker [F].