Liopeltis tricolor (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 : 163-164

Liopeltis tricolor (Schlegel, 1837) — Native; Indeterminate.

Herpetodryas tricolor Schlegel, 1837: 151–152 , 187, pl. 6, figs. 16–18. Syntypes (2): BMNH 1946.1 .5.37 and 1863.12.4.127. Type locality: “à Java ”, Indonesia .

Tricoloured Ringneck ( Figures 18H & 19A )

Singapore records.

Ablabes tricolor — Boulenger, 1896: 643.— Flower, 1896: 885 (Botanic Gardens).— Flower, 1899: 673.— Ridley, 1899: 208.— Boulenger, 1912: 151.— de Rooij, 1917: 138.

Gongylosoma tricolor —Sworder, 1923: 64.

Liopeltis tricolor — de Haas, 1950: 560.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 146.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.— David & Vogel, 1996: 94.— Cox et al., 1998: 56.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 33.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 65.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 147.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 54, 169.— Das, 2010: 281.—L.L. Grismer, 2011a: 202.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 273.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 169.— Das, 2012a: 44.—Wallach et al., 2014: 386.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 175.— de Lang, 2017: 156.— Das, 2018: 54.— Leviton et al., 2018: 436.—Poyarkov et al., 2019b: 1649.— Charlton, 2020: 74.

Remarks. With the last known record from Singapore being from 1897, L. tricolor has not been detected in Singapore for over 124 years ( Table 2 ). Liopeltis tricolor is known from Singapore from only five specimens. The first report of L. tricolor comes from Flower (1896) who referred to two specimens collected by Ridley at SBG deposited at NHMUK. However, Boulenger (1896) only reported one specimen at NHMUK. The other three specimens are preserved at LKCNHM. One was taken by Ridley from BTNR on 26 May 1894, another was obtained at SBG in 1897, and the third has no data ( Fig. 18H ).

Occurrence. Known from four specimens predating 1897 and one specimen with no date. Likely extirpated.

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated.

Conservation priority. If rediscovered, then the highest priority.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): BMNH 1895.1 .8.8 (no date), BMNH 1896.6 .26.541 (no date); ZRC.2.2844 (no date); Botanic Gardens: ZRC.2.2843 (1897); Bukit Timah Nature Reserve: ZRC.2.2842 (26-May-1894) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Genus Lycodon H. Boie in F. Boie in Fitzinger, 1826 (3 species)

Lycodon Fitzinger, 1826: 29 , 57 (type species: Coluber aulicus Linnaeus, 1758 , by original designation; gender masculine).

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].

FIGURE 19. A) Liopeltis tricolor, B) Lycodon capucinus, C) Lycodon subannulatus, D) Lycodon subcinctus, E) Oligodon octolineatus, F) Oligodon purpurascens, G) Oligodon signatus, and H) Ptyas carinata. Photographs by: Evan S.H. Quah [A], Alex Figueroa [B, E, G], Mary-Ruth Low [C], Daniel J.J. Ng [D], Benjamin Y.H. Lee [F], and Law Ing Sind [H],