Hydrophis stokesii (Gray, 1846)

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 : 197-198

Hydrophis stokesii (Gray, 1846) — Native.

Hydrus Stokesii Gray, 1846: 502 , pl. 3. Holotype: BMNH 1946.1 .17.12 (formerly BM III.9.1.d), by original designation. Type locality: “Australian Seas”.

Stokes’ Sea Snake

( Figures 23A & 23B )

Singapore records.

Hydrus annulatus — Gray, 1849: 59.— Knight, 1867: 155.

Hydrophis stokesii — Ģnther, 1864: 363.— Davison, 1892: 93.— Boulenger, 1912: 183.—Hanitsch, 1913: 17.—Sworder, 1923: 68.— Bogert, 1966: 4.

Hydrophis stokesi — Dennys, 1880a: 3.— Blanford, 1881: 216.— de Rooij, 1917: 239.

Distira stokesii — Boulenger, 1896: 289.— Flower, 1896: 892.— Hanitsch, 1898: 20.— Flower, 1899: 687.— Ridley, 1899: 209.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 265.

Astrotia stokesii — Smith, 1926: 113.— Smith, 1943: 472.— de Haas, 1950: 596.—Taylor, 1965: 996.— K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 55.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 149.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 130.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 149.— Khan, 2003: 19.—Sharma, 2007: 335.— Das, 2010: 318.—Wallach et al., 2014: 60.

Astrotia stokesi — Ahmed, 1975: 81.

“ Astrotia ” —P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 302.

Remarks. When Gray (1849) first reported H. stokesii from Singapore, he described it as a new species, Hydrus annulatus ( Table 1 ). Ģnther (1864) later synonymised it with H. stokesii and expressed doubt if H. stokesii even occurred in the Chinese seas or Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). However, Blanford (1881) examined two specimens at the Raffles Museum that were collected in Singapore ( Dennys 1880a), and Boulenger (1896) listed an additional specimen at NHMUK from Singapore formerly belonging to the Haslar collection. Davison (1892) expressed that H. stokesii is the most common sea snake around Singapore, and that the Raffles Museum possesses numerous specimens collected in fishermen’s nets. Yet, there are no specimens of H. stokesii from Singapore at LKCNHM. The LKCNHM does have eight specimens collected at unknown dates, but they were obtained off Singapore ( Fig. 23A ). Besides the two specimens at NHMUK from Boulenger (1896), there are only seven additional museum specimens, and three were collected by Voris and Jeffries in 1980 and 1981. Smith (1926) examined the two specimens at NHMUK and also USNM 26567, which was collected in June 1899. Afterwards, there are no additional records of H. stokesii from Singapore.

Occurrence. Known from a few specimens predating 1881. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2018].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1855.10 .16.284 (no date) , BMNH 1946.1 .19.74 (no date) [holotype of Hydrus annulatus ] .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): AMNH, CAS, FMNH, RMNH, USNM, ZMH.

Singapore localities. No published localities.

Genus Laticauda Laurenti, 1768 (1 species)

Laticauda Laurenti, 1768: 109 (type species: Laticauda scutata Laurenti, 1768 [= Coluber laticaudus Linnaeus, 1758 ], by subsequent designation by Stejneger, 1936: 141; gender feminine).

Figures

FIGURE 23. A) Hydrophis stokesii, B) Hydrophis stokesii, C) Laticauda colubrina, D) Naja sumatrana, E) Ophiophagus hannah, F) Bitia hydroides, G) Cantoria violacea, and H) Cerberus schneiderii. Photographs by: Kelvin K.P. Lim [A], Christopher J. Jolly [B], Philip Vogrinc [C], Alex Figueroa [D, G–H], Francis L.K. Lim [E], and Evan S.H. Quah [F].