Ramphotyphlops lineatus (Schlegel, 1839)

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 : 225-226

Ramphotyphlops lineatus (Schlegel, 1839) — Native.

Typhlops lineatus Schlegel, 1839: 39 . Syntypes (2): RMNH.RENA.3696 (2), by original designation. Type locality: “von Java ”, Indonesia.

Lined Blind Snake ( Figure 25H )

Singapore records.

Pilidion lineatum — Cantor, 1847b: 897.— Cantor, 1847c: 1069, 1074, 1076.— Flower, 1899: 614.

Typhlops lineatus — Boulenger, 1893: 15.— Flower, 1896: 876.— Flower, 1899: 653.—Ridley, 1899: 207.— Barbour, 1912: 98.— de Rooij, 1917: 4.—Sworder, 1923: 58.— Smith, 1943: 527.— de Haas, 1950: 518.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 53.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 145.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 106.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.

Ramphotyphlops lineatus — David & Vogel, 1996: 32.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 38.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 14.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 169.— Das, 2010: 348.—Wallach et al., 2014: 628.— Chan-ard et al., 2015: 146.— de Lang, 2017: 336.—I.S. Law, Seah & van Whye, 2019: 133–134 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).— Charlton, 2020: 57.

Remarks. The very recent rediscovery of R. lineatus based on a dead individual found along a mountain biking trail at BTNR on 16 September 2019 ( Law et al. 2019) ( Fig. 25H ) ends the longest period a species went undetected in Singapore. The specimen was found 174 years after Gray (1845) reported the first record from Singapore based on a specimen at NHMUK. Gray (1845) designated the locality of the specimen from Hardwicke’s collection as “ India ”, but the locality was later changed to Singapore (e.g., Cantor 1847b; Boulenger 1893). Hence, Cantor (1847b) was the first to actually report R. lineatus from Singapore. An unpublished illustration of the R. lineatus specimen from Hardwicke’s collection exists at NHMUK (Smith 1943). Not much is known regarding the habits of R. lineatus as it is rare in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo (Tweedie 1983; David & Vogel 1996; Stuebing et al. 2014), but de Lang (2017) says it is fairly common in western Java.

Occurrence. Known only from one specimen predating 1845 and one specimen discovered in 2019. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Critically Endangered .

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve : ZRC.2.7363 (16-Sep-2019).

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Figures

FIGURE 25. A) Asthenodipsas laevis, B) Pareas margaritophorus, C) Malayopython reticulatus, D) Python brongersmai, E) Python brongersmai, F) Argyrophis muelleri, G) Indotyphlops braminus, and H) Ramphotyphlops lineatus. Photographs by: Evan S.H. Quah [A, E], Alex Figueroa [B–C, G], Kelvin K.P. Lim [D, H], and Nick Baker [F].