Coelognathus flavolineatus (Schlegel, 1837)

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 : 159-160

Coelognathus flavolineatus (Schlegel, 1837) — Native.

Coluber flavolineatus Schlegel, 1837: 141 . Syntypes (5): RMNH.RENA.418, 420, 422, and 424–25, by original designation. Type locality: “îles de Java et de Sumatra ” (= Java and Sumatra), Indonesia.

Common Malayan Racer

( Figure 18E )

Singapore records.

Spilotes melanurus — Ģnther, 1858b: 97.

Compsosoma melaindrum — Dennys, 1880a: 3.

Compsosoma melanurum — Dennys, 1881a: 2.— Blanford, 1881: 215.

Compsosoma melandrum — Dennys, 1881b: 2.

Coluber melanurus — Boulenger, 1894: 60.— Flower, 1896: 883.— Hanitsch, 1898: 20.— Flower, 1899: 668.—Ridley, 1899: 208.— Hanitsch, 1912b: 16.— de Rooij, 1917: 99.— Buddle, 1929: 20 (Sembawang Naval Base [= SML]).

Elaphe melanura —Sworder, 1923: 63.

Elaphe flavolineata — Smith, 1943: 529.— de Haas, 1950: 548.— Harman, 1961: 182.—D.S. Johnson, 1964: 27.— Grandison, 1972: 85.— Hall, 1988: 88 (Pasir Panjang Hill).—F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 115.—K. Lim, 1990a: 7 (Old Upper Thomson Road).—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 53.—K.K.P. Lim & Subharaj, 1991: 5 (Ulu Sembawang).—Subharaj & K.K.P. Lim, 1991a: 3 (Lim Chu Kang Road [LCK]).—Subharaj & K.K.P. Lim, 1991b: 2 (Ulu Sembawang).—F.L.K. Lim, 1991: 55.—D.S. Johnson, 1992: 37.—K.K.P. Lim & Subharaj, 1992: 6 (Pulau Ubin; Ulu Sembawang).—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 54, 145.—Wee, 1992: 74 (Lower Peirce Reservoir Park).—K.K.P. Lim, 1993a: 3 (Choa Chu Kang Road [CCK]; Kranji Dam; Neo Tiew Road [LCK]; Sime Road Forest).—K.K.P. Lim & Subaraj, 1994: 5 (Kent Ridge Road [NUS]).—R. Subaraj, 1994: 12 (Nee Soon Swamp Forest).—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—R. Subaraj, 1995: 35 (Pulau Ubin).— David & Vogel, 1996: 82.— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 342.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 381.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 32.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 59.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.— Anonymous, 2003: 92 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).— de Lang & Vogel, 2005: 130.

Coelognathus flavolineatus — Cox et al., 1998: 51.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 98, 160.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 264.— Das, 2010: 273.—L.L. Grismer, 2011a: 187.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 273.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 98, 161.— Das, 2012a: 33.—Schulz, 2013: 33.—S.K. Tan, 2014b: 208 (Science Drive 2, Block S6, Level 3 [NUS]).—Wallach et al., 2014: 171.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 164.—R. Subaraj, 2015: 52, 54, 55 (Upper Seletar Peninsula [= USNF]).—S. Subaraj, 2015: 3, 5 (Mandai Range Forest; Upper Seletar Peninsula [= USNF]).—Groenewoud, 2016: 67 (Ulu Simpang Kiri).—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 181 (Pulau Tekong).— Khew & Yokohari, 2017: 11.— de Lang, 2017: 125.— Das, 2018: 41.—T.K. Fung & M.-R. Low, 2018: 37 ( Singapore Zoo).— H.T.W. Tan et al., 2019: 134 (Kent Ridge Park; National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus).—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 162, 181 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, after R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997; Pulau Ubin).— Charlton, 2020: 152.— Leo et al., 2020: 257.—K.K.P. Lim, 2020: 2, 4 (Changi; Sime Road [= SICC]).

Elaphe radiata — Cross, 2020a: 1 (Sime Road [=SICC]).— Cross, 2020l: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]). Cross, 2020n: 1, 7 (Changi; Sime Road [= SICC]).

Remarks. Ģnther (1858b) first reported C. flavolineatus from Singapore from a specimen obtained by Hardwicke. Later, Dennys added a specimen to NHMUK ( Boulenger 1894) and to the Raffles Museum ( Dennys 1880a; Blanford 1881), and Flower (1896), Ridley, and Hanitsch each collected additional specimens ( Flower 1899). Sworder (1923) referred to C. flavolineatus as quite common and Buddle (1929) recorded 18 specimens at SNB. Harman (1961) next reported C. flavolineatus 32 years later ( Table 2 ), followed by Hall (1988) who had seen it at Pasir Panjang Hill. Cross (2020n) also recorded a few specimens in 1944 and 1945 that went undocumented until now and that he misidentified as C. radiata ( Lim 2020) . Despite the numerous records and museum specimens, C. flavolineatus is not commonly sighted nowadays ( Baker & Lim 2012). Recent records consist of two seen at NUS, one on 15 November 2007 (N.T.-L. Lim pers. comm.) and the other on 29 July 2008 (Tan 2014b), at least one from Mandai (R. Subaraj 2015; S. Subaraj 2015), one observed moving in a canal at Ulu Simpang Kiri on 20 April 2016 (Groenewoud 2016), and one seen in a drain at Singapore Zoo on 11 March 2015 ( Fung & Low 2018).

Occurrence. Wide-ranging. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Least Concern.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1880.9 .10.11 (no date) , BMNH 1930.12 .2.1 (no date) , BMNH 1956.1 .12.81 (no date) , ZRC.2.2351– ZRC.2.2354 (no date), ZRC.2.2392– ZRC.2.2394 (no date), ZRC.2.4367 (Jul-1937) , ZRC.2.2350 (20-Apr-1939) , ZRC.2.2346 (Jun-1949) ; Botanic Gardens: ZRC.2.2341 (13-Jul-1897) , ZRC.2.2347– ZRC.2.2348 (Nov-1912) , ZRC.2.2349 (27- Oct-1917) , ZRC.2.2342 (1922), ZRC.2.2343 (17-Aug-1926) ; Bukit Kalang Forest [ SRF] : ZRC.2.6792 (19-Nov-2008) ; Changi : ZRC.2.2344 (Feb-1928) ; Kent Ridge Campus : ZRC.2.6740 (15-Feb-2007) , ZRC.2.7404 (21-Dec-2019) ; Lorong Gambas: ZRC.2.6320 (13-Mar-1994) ; Mandai Lake Road : ZRC.2.2294 (02-Feb-1986) , ZRC.2.6067 (22-May-2004) ; Neo Tiew Lane [ LCK] : ZRC.2.6172 (27-Dec-2005) ; Old Upper Thomson Road : ZRC.2.5533 (10-Apr-2002) ; Pasir Panjang Hill : ZRC.2.2503 (02- Apr-1989) ; Pulau Tekong: ZRC.2.6202 (27-Jun-2006) ; Pulau Ubin: ZRC.2.3375 (Oct-1992) , ZRC.2.7082 (30-Dec-2006) , ZRC.2.6960 (10-Nov-2011) ; Rifle Range Road : ZRC.2.6831 (07-Jul-2009) ; Siglap : ZRC.2.2345 (Jun-1939) ; Sungei Kadut Drive : ZRC.2.7074 (02-Dec-2001) ; Upper Peirce Reservoir Road : ZRC.2.6699 (24-Mar-2008) ; Ulu Sembawang: ZRC.2.3268 (25-Apr-1991) ; Venus Drive [ WNP] : ZRC.2.6118 (06-Jan-2005) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): AMNH, BPBM, CAS, NMW, WAM; Botanic Gardens: USNM; Dunearn Road Hostel [= College Green]: BPBM; Island Club Road [= SICC]: UWBM.

Singapore localities. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Changi—Choa Chu Kang—College Green—Kent Ridge Park—Kranji Dam—Lim Chu Kang—Lorong Gambas—Lower Peirce Reservoir Park—Mandai Lake Road—Mandai Range Forest—National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus—Nee Soon Swamp Forest—Old Upper Thomson Road—Pasir Panjang Hill—Pulau Tekong—Pulau Ubin—Rifle Range Road—Sembcorp Marine Ltd.—Siglap—Sime Road Forest—Singapore Botanic Gardens—Singapore Island Country Club—Singapore Zoo—Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve—Sungei Kadut Drive—Ulu Sembawang Forest—Ulu Simpang Kiri—Upper Seletar North Forest—Windsor Nature Park.

Genus Gongylosoma Fitzinger, 1843 (1 species)

Gongylosoma Fitzinger, 1843: 25 (type species: Coronella baliodeira H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827, by original designation; gender feminine).

Figures

FIGURE 18. A) Boiga cynodon, B) Boiga drapiezii, C) Boiga jaspidea, D) Boiga melanota, E) Coelognathus flavolineatus, F) Gongylosoma baliodeira, G) Gonyosoma oxycephalum, and H) Liopeltis tricolor. Photographs by: Alex Figueroa [A, D, G], Kelvin K.P. Lim [B, C, H], Norman T.-L. Lim [E], and Nick Baker [F].