Pseudorabdion longiceps (Cantor, 1847)

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 : 152-154

Pseudorabdion longiceps (Cantor, 1847) — Native.

Calamaria longiceps Cantor, 1847b: 910–911 , pl. 40, fig. 1. Holotype: BMNH 1946.1 .2.13, by original designation. Type locality: “ Pinang ” (= Penang Island ), Peninsular Malaysia.

Dwarf Reed Snake

( Figure 17H )

Singapore records.

Oxycalamus longiceps — Dennys, 1880a: 3.— Dennys, 1880b: 2.— Dennys, 1881b: 2.— Blanford, 1881: 215.

Pseudorhabdium longiceps — Boulenger, 1894: 329.— Flower, 1896: 886.— Flower, 1899: 674.—Ridley, 1899: 208.— Boulenger, 1912: 154.— de Rooij, 1917: 146.—Sworder, 1923: 65.— Buddle, 1929: 42 (Sembawang Naval Base [= SML]).— Cross, 2020a: 2 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020d: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020n: 1, 7 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).

Pseudorabdion longiceps — Smith, 1930: 57.—Smedley, 1931b: 50.—Taylor, 1965: 795.— Grandison, 1972: 86.—K. Lim & F. Lim, 1988b: 49 (Bukit Kalang Service Reservoir [SRF]; Sime Road Forest).—Subharaj & K.K.P. Lim, 1991a: 3 (Botanical Gardens).—Subharaj & K.K.P. Lim, 1991b: 2 (Upper Peirce Reservoir).—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 62, 146.—R. Subaraj, 1994: 12 (Lorong Gambas).—R. Subaraj et al., 1995: 3 (Bukit Kalang Service Reservoir [SRF]; Thomson Ridge [TRF]).—K. Lim et al., 1995: 13 (Old Upper Thomson Road).—K. Lim, 1995: 16 (Lorong Gangsa).— David & Vogel, 1996: 59.— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 382.— Brown et al., 1999: 10.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 35.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 78.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.— de Lang & Vogel, 2005: 247.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 106, 161.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 265.— Das, 2010: 298.—L.L. Grismer, 2011a: 210.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 273.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 106, 161.— Das, 2012a: 62.—B.W. Low & Ngiam, 2014: 77 (Golf Link Trail [MNF]).—Wallach et al., 2014: 606.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 186.—Thomas et al., 2015: 5 (Bukit Surau [Pulau Ubin]; Outward Bound School Camp I [Pulau Ubin]).—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 184 (Pulau Tekong).—Vogel et al., 2016: 337.— Das, 2018: 73.— Leviton et al., 2018: 426.—O’Shea, 2018: 139.—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 164, 181 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).— Charlton, 2020: 126.—K.K.P. Lim, 2020: 5 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).

Pseudorhabdion [sic] longiceps —F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 115.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 383.

Remarks. Sworder (1923) described P. longiceps as common, but it is seldom seen due to its fossorial lifestyle, which led Baker & Lim (2012) to classify it as rare. Here, we designate P. longiceps as uncommon, but acknowledge that given adequate effort, it can be regularly found. Pseudorabdion longiceps was first reported from Singapore by Dennys (1880a) in a newspaper article, followed by Blanford (1881) from specimens at the Raffles Museum. These specimens were either lost or transferred because Ridley (1899) does not report any specimens. Pseudorabdion longiceps was next reported by Boulenger (1894) from two specimens at NHMUK collected by Dennys and Ridley, and Flower (1896) collected two specimens. There is also a specimen at MNHN (RA-1893.144) that was collected on 13 November 1893 by an unknown collector. After Smedley (1931b) examined a specimen at LCKNHM, Taylor (1965) reported finding a specimen in Singapore 34 years later ( Table 2 ). Cross (2020n) also recorded a few individuals at Sime Road Internment Camp in 1944 and 1945. Pseudorabdion longiceps was reported several times in The Pangolin journal ( Lim & Lim 1988b; Subharaj & Lim 1991a, b; Subaraj 1994; Subaraj et al. 1995; Lim et al. 1995; Lim 1995), but subsequently has only been reported a few times in publications ( Low & Ngiam 2014; Thomas et al. 2015; Lim et al. 2016; Teo & Thomas 2019). The records presented here reveal that P. longiceps occupies a much wider range in Singapore than previously understood ( Baker & Lim 2012), having been taken from SBG on 17 July 1991, NUS Kent Ridge campus on 15 January 2004, and PU on 31 October 1969.

Occurrence. Wide-ranging. Uncommon.

Singapore conservation status. Near-Threatened.

Conservation priority. Moderate.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1880.9 .10.37 (no date) , BMNH 1889.9 .11.2 (no date) , BMNH 1902.3 .26.6 (no date) , ZRC.2.2792, ZRC.2.5013, ZRC.2.5461 (no date), ZRC.2.2800 (Aug-1934) , ZRC.2.2799 (1940); Botanic Gardens : ZRC.2.2805 (20-Jul-1921) , ZRC.2.3290 (17-Jul-1991) ; Bukit Batok Nature Park: ZRC.2.7066 (03-Feb-2014) ; Bukit Kalang [ SRF]: ZRC.2.6691 (04-May-2008) , ZRC.2.6728 (07-Aug-2008) , ZRC.2.6790 (31-Oct-2008) ; Bukit Timah: ZRC.2.2796 (no date), ZRC.2.2794 (13-Jul-1922) , ZRC.2.2798 (05-Aug-1922) , ZRC.2.2795 (18-Apr-1923) ; Geylang: ZRC.2.2801– ZRC.2.2804 (29-Feb-1932) ; Greenbank Park: ZRC.2.5530 (13-Oct-2002) ; Island Country Club Road [ SICC]: ZRC.2.6075 (09-Jul-2004), ZRC.2.6773 (10-Oct-2008) ; MacRitchie , beside SICC : ZRC.2.7016 (20-Dec-2012) ; MacRitchie Reservoir: ZRC.2.2806 (Aug-1948) ; Mandai : ZRC.2.2793 (23- Jul-1922) ; Mandai Gangsa [Gangsa Forest] : ZRC.2.6171 (07-Oct-1995) ; NUS Kent Ridge : ZRC.2.6020 (15-Jan-2004) ; Old Upper Thomson Road : ZRC.2.7311 (18-Mar-2018) , ZRC.2.7318 -7330 (30-Jul-2018) ; Pearl’s Hill: ZRC.2.2807 (no date); Pulau Senang : ZRC.2.2797 (Jun-1951) ; Pulau Tekong Besar : ZRC.2.6042 (16-Apr-2004) ; Pulau Ubin: ZRC.2.7089 (06-Mar-2014) ; ZRC.2.7090 (12-Mar-2014) ; Rifle Range Pipeline : ZRC.2.6738 (21-Mar-2008) , Sime Road Forest : ZRC.2.3474 (02-Oct-1994) ; Upper Peirce–MacRitchie Stream [ SRF] : ZRC.2.6564 (11-Oct-2007) ; Upper Peirce Reservoir : ZRC.2.3285 (24-Oct-1991) ; Upper Peirce Reservoir Road : ZRC.2.7067 (03-Feb-2014) ; Upper Seletar Reservoir Road : ZRC.2.6712 (07-Jul-2008) , ZRC.2.6797 (02-Jan-2009) , ZRC.2.6983 (02-Aug-2012) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): CAS, FMNH, MNHN, NMI, RMNH, ZMUC; Alexandra Road: RMNH; Botanic Gardens: BPBM; Pulau Ubin: UF.

Singapore localities. Alexandra Road*—Bukit Batok Nature Park—Bukit Timah (not specified)—Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Gangsa Forest—Geylang—Greenbank Park—Lorong Gambas—Lorong Gangsa— MacRitchie North Forest—MacRitchie Reservoir—Mandai (not specified)—National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus—Old Upper Thomson Road—Pearl’s Hill—Pulau Senang—Pulau Tekong—Pulau Ubin—Rifle Range Pipeline—Sembcorp Marine Ltd.*—Sime Road Forest—Singapore Botanical Gardens—Singapore Island Country Club—Thomson Ridge Forest—Upper Peirce Reservoir— Upper Peirce Reservoir Road—Upper Seletar Reservoir Road.

Subfamily Colubrinae Oppel, 1811 (18 species)

Colubrini Oppel, 1811: 47, 50, 69, 217 (type genus Coluber Linnaeus, 1758 ).

Genus Boiga Fitzinger, 1826 (4 species)

Boiga Fitzinger, 1826: 29 , 60 (type species: Coluber irregularis Merrem in Bechstein, 1802, by subsequent designation by Cope, 1860: 264; gender feminine).

Figures

FIGURE 17. A) Dendrelaphis kopsteini, B) Dendrelaphis pictus, C) Dryophiops rubescens, D) Calamaria albiventer, E) Calamaria lovii, F) Calamaria lumbricoidea, G) Calamaria schlegeli, and H) Pseudorabdion longiceps. Photographs by: Law Ing Sind [A, E], Alex Figueroa [B, G], Emmanuel Goh [C], Evan S.H. Quah [D], and Kelvin K.P. Lim [F, H].