Gerarda prevostiana (Eydoux & Gervais, 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 : 211-212

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:78E23714-8973-4755-BC94-0A751D7D2B37
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7968043
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/88502B73-FF48-B8A5-FF6B-437B7BBC0CAD
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Gerarda prevostiana (Eydoux & Gervais, 1837)
status

Treatment

Gerarda prevostiana (Eydoux & Gervais, 1837) View in CoL — Native.

Coluber (Homalopsis) prevostianus Eydoux & Gervais, 1837: 5–8 , pl. 15. Syntypes (2): MNHN-RA 3758 and 7593, by original designation. Type locality: “ Manille ” (= Manila), Philippines.

Yellow-lipped Water Snake

( Figure 24C View FIGURE 24 )

Singapore records.

Gerarda prevostiana —K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & Subharaj, 1992: 7 (Lim Chu Kang Mangroves).—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 147.— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 353.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 93.— Jayne et al., 2002: 143.— Karns et al., 2002: 488 (Pasir Ris Mangroves).—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 147.—J.C. Murphy & Voris, 2002: 107.—Voris & J.C. Murphy, 2002: 1626 (Lim Chu Kang).— Anonymous, 2003: 92 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).— Karns et al., 2005: 86.—R. Somaweera et al., 2006: 91.—J.C. Murphy, 2007: 186 (“Pasar Ris” [ PRPM]).—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 110, 161.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 265.— P.K.L. Ng et al., 2008: 166.—P.Z. Chen, 2010: 195–197 (Lim Chu Kang Mangrove Forest; Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).— Das, 2010: 329.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 502.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 110, 161.— Das, 2012a: 111.—Voris & J.C. Murphy, 2012: 194.—Stuebing et al., 2014: 102.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 244.—Ukuwela et al., 2017: 29.— Das, 2018: 129.—Jayne et al., 2018: 638.— Karunarathna et al., 2018: 12.—Quah et al, 2018b: 56.— Charlton, 2020: 100.— Figueroa & McCleary 2021: 1283.—Ukuwela et al., 2022: 4.—K.H. Koh, 2023: 1 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).

Gerardia [sic] prevostiana —L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 106.

Remarks. Gerarda prevostiana is a rare snake throughout its range (Murphy 2007). It was first discovered in Peninsular Malaysia in 1917 at Kuala Kurau ( Kloss 1921), but no such publication exists detailing the first record for Singapore. Thus, the first mention of G. prevostiana is in Lim & Chou (1990), but they do not reference any older material. It may be that they refer to specimen ZRC.2.3292 collected from a kelong off Lim Chu Kang in July 1981 by Voris and Jeffries or to observations not hitherto reported. Nonetheless, the first report of an actual observation of G. prevostiana from Singapore is by Lim & Subharaj (1992) who noted a live individual found at LCKNP on 14 January 1992. Afterwards, G. prevostiana has only been reported by Karns (2002) who studied it at PRPM, Murphy (2007) who presented a photograph of one at PRPM, Chen (2010) who reported one seen eating a sesarmid crab at SBWR on 1 July 2010 and one sighted at LCKNP on 7 August 2010, and by Koh (2023) who detailed one being eaten by a juvenile Varanus salvator at SBWR on 6 November 2022. The individual in Figure 24C View FIGURE 24 was photographed at PRPM on 24 November 2014 (A. Figueroa pers. obs.).

Occurrence. Restricted to mangroves of LCKNP, Loyang, PRPM, and SBWR. Uncommon.

Singapore conservation status. Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2010].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens.Lim Chu Kang: ZRC.2.3292(Jul-1981) ; Lim Chu Kang Mangroves: ZRC.2.3295 (14-Jan-1992) , ZRC.2.3459 (20-Jan-1996) , ZRC.2.3460 (16-Feb-1996) , ZRC.2.5190 (24- Aug-2001) ; Loyang Mangroves: ZRC.2.5617 (20-Dec-2002) ; Pasir Ris Park Mangroves: ZRC.2.4598– ZRC.2.4599 (14-Jul-1999) , ZRC.2.4848– ZRC.2.4849 (27-Dec-2000) , ZRC.2.7095 (21-May-2011) , ZRC.2.7096 (21-Jul-2012) ; Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve : ZRC.2.5046 (02-Mar-2001) .