Sibynophis melanocephalus (Gray, 1834)

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 : 183-185

Sibynophis melanocephalus (Gray, 1834) — Native.

Lycodon melanocephalus Gray, 1835 [in 1832–1835]: pl. 83, fig. 2. Holotype: BMNH 1946.1 .17.76, by original designation. Type locality: None stated/traced; later designated as “ India ” by Ģnther (1858b: 28; in error); later designated as “ Singapore?” by Boulenger (1893: 186); later designated as “ Singapore ” by Morgan (1973: 22).

Black-headed Collared Snake ( Figure 21B )

Singapore records.

Ablabes melanocephalus —Stoliczka, 1870a: 106.—Stoliczka, 1870c: 107.—Stoliczka, 1870d: 183 (“in the (so-called) botanic garden at Singapore” [SBG]).— Anderson, 1871: 33.—Theobald, 1876: 229.— Dennys, 1880a: 3.— Dennys, 1881a: 2.— Dennys, 1881b: 2.— Blanford, 1881: 215.

Polyodontophis melanocephalus —Sclater, 1891a: 18.

Polyodontophis geminatus — Boulenger, 1893: 185.— Flower, 1896: 879.— Flower, 1899: 659.—Ridley, 1899: 207.— Boulenger, 1912: 120.—J.C. Thompson, 1914: 380 (Botanical Gardens).— de Rooij, 1917: 54.

Sibynophis geminatus —Sworder, 1923: 60.

Sibynophis (Polyodontophis) geminatus — Buddle, 1929: 39 (Sembawang Naval Base [= SML]).

Sibynophis geminatus geminatus — de Haas, 1950: 532.

Sibynophis melanocephalus —F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 115.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.P. Lim & R. Subharaj, 1991d: 2 (Neo Tiew Road [LCK]; Woodlands New Town).—K.K.P. Lim & Subharaj, 1992: 6 (Neo Tiew Road [LCK]; Old Upper Thomson Road; Sime Road Forest).— K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 57, 145.—Wee, 1992: 74 (Lower Peirce Reservoir Park).— K.K.P. Lim & Subaraj, 1994: 5 (Rifle Range Road).—R. Subaraj, 1994: 12 (Rifle Range Road).— L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—K. Lim, 1995: 15 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 392.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 383.— Cox et al., 1998: 57.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 36.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 83.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 108, 161.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 265.— Das, 2010: 301.—L.L. Grismer, 2011a: 214.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 272.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 108, 161.— Das, 2012a: 67.—Wallach et al., 2014: 673.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 206.—H.S. Lee, 2015: 62 (Upper Peirce Reservoir Park).—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 184 (Pulau Tekong).—R. Subaraj, 2016: 14 (Mandai Lake Road; Turut Track [Kranji Marshes]).— de Lang, 2017: 231.— Das, 2018: 78.—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 164, 181 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, after R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997; Pulau Ubin).— Charlton, 2020: 197.—K.K.P. Lim, 2020: 2, 4 (Bukit Timah Golf Course [= SICC]; Sime Road Internment Camp [= SICC]).—L.N. Chin, 2022: 1 (Dairy Farm Nature Park).

Psammodynastes pictus (part)—K.K.P. Lim, 1991b: 11–12 (Bukit Timah Golf Complex [= SICC]; Sime Road Internment Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020a: 3 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020f: 3 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020g: 1, 2 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020m: 2, 5 (Bukit Timah Golf Course [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020n: 2, 7 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).

Sibynophis melanocephalus melanocephalus — David & Vogel, 1996: 110.

Psammodynastes pictus — Cross, 2020a: 3 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]) .— Cross, 2020f: 3 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]) .— Cross, 2020g: 1, 2 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]) .— Cross, 2020m: 2, 5 (Bukit Timah Golf Course [= SICC]) .— Cross, 2020n: 2, 7 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]) .

Remarks. Sibynophis melanocephalus was previously considered a synonym of S. geminatus until Taylor (1965) and Morgan (1973) recognised it as a separate species. Sibynophis melanocephalus was described by Gray (1832–1835) from a specimen in Hardwicke’s collection that Ģnther (1858b) assigned the typelocality India, but the location was later changed questionably to Singapore (“ Singapore?”) by Boulenger (1893) who examined three specimens from Hardwicke and one by Dennys ( Table 1 ). In his examination of Sibynophiinae , Morgan (1973) formally amended the type locality to Singapore. However, prior to Boulenger (1893) tentative correction of the type locality to Singapore, Stoliczka (1870a, c, d) first reported S. melanocephalus from Singapore, followed by Anderson (1871), Blanford (1881), and Sclater (1891a). In addition, specimen MNHN-RA-1891.205 was collected on 23 July 1891 by Claine. Stuebing (1991) followed Boulenger (1893) and listed the type locality as “ Singapore?”. Sworder (1923) collected a few specimens and described S. melanocephalus as common, but today it is regarded as rare ( Baker & Lim 2012). After Buddle (1929) collected four specimens at SNB, Lim & Subharaj (1991 d) next reported it 62 years later ( Table 2 ) from a live one seen at Woodlands New Town on 23 November 1991, and a roadkill along Neo Tiew Road on 1 December 1991. Most reports of S. melanocephalus featured specimens found on roads ( Lim & Subharaj 1992; Lim & Subaraj 1994; Subaraj 1994; Lim 1995). Teo & Rajathurai (1997) reported six observations, then S. melanocephalus was only reported from a roadkill on PT in October 2005 ( Lim et al. 2016), one from AP on 23 July 2010 (E.T. Neo pers. comm.), one from Night Safari and KM from January 2016 (Subaraj 2016), one from PU in 2009 (Teo & Thomas 2019), one photographed at UPRP by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 19 April 2015 ( Lee 2015), one seen at MFP on 5 April 2018 (L. Brandt pers. comm.), and one crossing a road at DFNP on 18 April 2022 (Chin 2022). The individual in Figure 21B was photographed at Mandai Parks on 12 July 2018 (A. Figueroa pers. obs.). In a note regarding records of Psammodynastes pictus, Lim (1991b) mentioned records of P. pictus from Sime Road Internment Camp on 9 June 1944, 1 and 19 December 1944, and from Bukit Timah Golf Course on 25 May 1945 from an unpublished manuscript by A. Cross. These records have since been published (see Lim 2020), and upon re-examination, Cross’ descriptions of the snakes actually match S. melanocephalus ( Lim 2020) which makes sense since P. pictus is a swamp forest species ( Baker & Lim 2012).

Occurrence. Wide-ranging. Uncommon.

Singapore conservation status. Vulnerable.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1880.9 .10.29 (no date) , BMNH 1946.1 .17.76 (no date) [holotype] , BMNH (no #) (no date), ZRC.2.2706 (Aug-1927) , ZRC.2.2705 (1942); Botanic Gardens : ZRC.2.2709 (1897), ZRC.2.2710 (14-May-1904) ; Bukit Kalang Service Reservoir Road [ SRF] : ZRC.2.6092– ZRC.2.6093 (06-Oct-2004) , ZRC.2.6120 (01-Mar-2005) ; Bukit Timah: ZRC.2.2707 (01-Apr-1923) , ZRC.2.2708 (21-Apr-1923) ; Dairy Farm Nature Park: ZRC.2.6948 (22- Dec-2011) ; Kranji : ZRC.2.2712 (07-Oct-1922) , ZRC.2.2714 (17-May-1923) , ZRC.2.2713 (20-Mar-1923) ; Lorong Banir [= SF] : ZRC.2.7222 (26-Oct-2015) ; Mandai Lake Road : ZRC.2.5963 (09-May-2003) ; Old Upper Thomson Road : ZRC.2.7315 (2018); Pasir Laba Road : ZRC.2.2297 (1984), ZRC.2.2296 (Sep-1986) ; Rifle Range Road [ RRNP] : ZRC.2.6714 (12-Jul-2008) ; Seletar : ZRC.2.2711 (Jul-1952) ; Singapore Zoo: ZRC.2.6910 (04-May-2010) ; Upper Peirce Reservoir Road : ZRC.2.6312 (15-Nov-2006) , ZRC.2.6985 (11-Sep-2012) , ZRC.2.7114 (20-Sep-2014) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): CAS, MNHN, NMI, NMW, ZMUC; Kranji: CAS.

Singapore localities. Admiralty Park—Bukit Timah (not specified)—Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Dairy Farm Nature Park—Kranji—Kranji Marshes—Lim Chu Kang—Lower Peirce Reservoir Park—Mandai Lake Road—Mount Faber Park —Old Upper Thomson Road—Pasir Laba Road—Pulau Tekong—Pulau Ubin— Rifle Range Road—Seletar (not specified)—Sembcorp Marine Ltd.*—Sime Road Forest—Singapore Botanic Gardens—Singapore Island Country Club—Singapore Zoo—Springleaf Forest—Upper Peirce Reservoir Park—Upper Peirce Reservoir Road—Woodlands New Town.

Figures

FIGURE 21. A) Xenochrophis vittatus, B) Sibynophis melanocephalus, C) Cylindrophis ruffus, D) Aipysurus eydouxii, E) Aipysurus eydouxii, F) Bungarus fasciatus, G) Calliophis bivirgatus, and H) Calliophis gracilis. Photographs by: Thio Hui Bing [A], Alex Figueroa [B], Nick Baker [C], Kelvin K.P. Lim [D], Ria Tan [E], Law Ing Sind [F], Mary-Ruth Low [G], and Evan S.H. Quah [H].