Acrochordus javanicus Hornstedt, 1787

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 : 265

Acrochordus javanicus Hornstedt, 1787 — Erroneous.

Javan File Snake

Singapore records.

Acrochordus javanicus — Duméril et al., 1854a: 38.— Cantor, 1847b: 905, 906.— Cantor, 1847c: 1069, 1076.— Ģnther, 1864: xxiii, 336.—Theobald, 1876: 230.— Hoffmann, 1890b: 178, 1828.— Flower, 1896: 878.— Flower, 1899: 658.—Ridley, 1899: 207.— Boulenger, 1912: 115.—Sworder, 1923: 60.—D.S. Johnson, 1964: 48.—F.L.K. Lim & Lee, 1989: 115.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 53.—D.S. Johnson, 1992: 68.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 126, 145.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.— David & Vogel, 1996: 45.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 34.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 145.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 169.— Das, 2010: 256.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 168.— Das, 2012a: 12.—Wallach et al., 2014: 7.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 155.— de Lang, 2017: 49.— Das, 2018: 16.

Acrochordus Javanicus —Theobald, 1876: 230.

Remarks. Records of A. javanicus from Singapore all refer to Duméril et al. (1854a) and Cantor (1847b) who mentioned that Montgomerie reported seeing one “in a solitary instance”. The RBINS has two specimens (RBINS 9952 and RBINS 9953) that were sent to Antwerp Zoo in 1965, and deposited in RBINS as they died en route to Belgium. Therefore, we omit A. javanicus from Singapore’s herpetofauna checklist. Given its distribution from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand south to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, and its broad habitat preference consisting of slow-moving rivers, streams, canals, tidal areas, mudflats, estuaries, coastal swamps, and mangroves ( David & Vogel 1996), there is a possibility that A. javanicus may occur in Singapore. However, given the extent of coastal redevelopment, creation of reservoirs, and canalisation, we suspect specimens would have been found by now.

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. No specimens.

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): NMW; RBINS.