Ramphotyphlops lineatus (Schlegel, 1839)

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 : 225-226

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.7968082

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/88502B73-FF7A-B897-FF6B-43727BD80E12

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Ramphotyphlops lineatus (Schlegel, 1839)
status

 

Ramphotyphlops lineatus (Schlegel, 1839) View in CoL — Native.

Typhlops lineatus Schlegel, 1839: 39 . Syntypes (2): RMNH.RENA.3696 (2), by original designation. Type locality: “von Java ”, Indonesia.

Lined Blind Snake ( Figure 25H View FIGURE 25 )

Singapore records.

Pilidion lineatum — Cantor, 1847b: 897.— Cantor, 1847c: 1069, 1074, 1076.— Flower, 1899: 614.

Typhlops lineatus — Boulenger, 1893: 15.— Flower, 1896: 876.— Flower, 1899: 653.—Ridley, 1899: 207.— Barbour, 1912: 98.— de Rooij, 1917: 4.—Sworder, 1923: 58.— Smith, 1943: 527.— de Haas, 1950: 518.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 53.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 145.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 106.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.

Ramphotyphlops lineatus — David & Vogel, 1996: 32.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 38.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 14.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 169.— Das, 2010: 348.—Wallach et al., 2014: 628.— Chan-ard et al., 2015: 146.— de Lang, 2017: 336.—I.S. Law, Seah & van Whye, 2019: 133–134 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).— Charlton, 2020: 57.

Remarks. The very recent rediscovery of R. lineatus based on a dead individual found along a mountain biking trail at BTNR on 16 September 2019 ( Law et al. 2019) ( Fig. 25H View FIGURE 25 ) ends the longest period a species went undetected in Singapore. The specimen was found 174 years after Gray (1845) reported the first record from Singapore based on a specimen at NHMUK. Gray (1845) designated the locality of the specimen from Hardwicke’s collection as “ India ”, but the locality was later changed to Singapore (e.g., Cantor 1847b; Boulenger 1893). Hence, Cantor (1847b) was the first to actually report R. lineatus from Singapore. An unpublished illustration of the R. lineatus specimen from Hardwicke’s collection exists at NHMUK (Smith 1943). Not much is known regarding the habits of R. lineatus as it is rare in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo (Tweedie 1983; David & Vogel 1996; Stuebing et al. 2014), but de Lang (2017) says it is fairly common in western Java.

Occurrence. Known only from one specimen predating 1845 and one specimen discovered in 2019. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Critically Endangered .

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve : ZRC.2.7363 (16-Sep-2019).

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

NHMUK

Natural History Museum, London

ZRC

Zoological Reference Collection, National University of Singapore

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Typhlopidae

Genus

Ramphotyphlops

Loc

Ramphotyphlops lineatus (Schlegel, 1839)

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

Pilidion lineatum

Dumeril & Bibron 1844
1844
Loc

Typhlops lineatus

Schlegel 1839: 39
1839
Loc

Typhlops lineatus

Schlegel 1839
1839
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