Tytthoscincus temasekensis Grismer, Wood, Lim & Liang, 2017

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 : 126-127

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.7967854

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/88502B73-FFE7-B808-FF6B-44CB7B8D0CFE

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Tytthoscincus temasekensis Grismer, Wood, Lim & Liang, 2017
status

 

Tytthoscincus temasekensis Grismer, Wood, Lim & Liang, 2017 View in CoL — Native.

Tytthoscincus temasekensis Grismer, Wood, Lim & Liang, 2017: 578 View in CoL View Cited Treatment . Holotype. ZRC 2.6490 View Materials , by original designation; paratypes (4): ZRC 2.2557 View Materials , 2.3959 View Materials , 2.667 View Materials , and 2.7111, by original designation. Type locality: “ Pasir Laba Road , Singapore (N 01°19.526’, E 103°40.212’; 24 m elevation)”.

Singapore Swamp Skink

( Figure 15C View FIGURE 15 )

Singapore records.

Lygosoma sp. —K. Lim, 1990a: 10 (Nee Soon Swamp Forest).—P.K.L. Ng & K.K.P. Lim, 1992: 260.— R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 387.

Sphenomorphus sp. —K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 149.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 54, 160.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 265.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 160.—N. Baker, 2013b: 59 (“forest north of MacRitchie Reservoir” [ MNF]).—Serin, 2015a: 28 (Sime Track [ SRF]).

“Undescribed species of Lygosoma ”— Davison, 2011: 110.

Tytthoscincus View in CoL cf. sibuensis —L.L. Grismer et al., 2016: 235, 239.—L.L. Grismer et al., 2018: 637.

Tytthoscincus temasekensis L.L. Grismer, Wood, Lim & Liang, 2017: 574–584 View in CoL View Cited Treatment (Lorong Banir [SF]; Nee Soon Swamp; Pasir Laba Road; Upper Seletar Reservoir Park).—L.L. Grismer & Quah, 2019: 242 View Cited Treatment .— Janssen & Sy, 2022: 133, 171.

Remarks. When the first two specimens of T. temasekensis were first found on 30 April and 28 December 1989 at NSSF, there was uncertainty regarding its identity and it was questionably identified as a Lygosoma ( Lim 1990a) . Subsequently, it was designated as T. cf. sibuensis given similarities in morphology, habitat, and geographic proximity ( Grismer et al. 2016). Based on morphological and molecular analyses from a specimen collected at Pasir Laba, Grismer et al. (2017) described the Singapore population, along with a population from Tanjung Malim, Peninsular Malaysia, as a new species ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ). Each of the records presented here, including museum records, are covered in Grismer et al. (2017), except for one photographed on a tree at BTNR on 3 July 2009 (H.H. Tan pers. comm.) and Figure 15C View FIGURE 15 (photographed at OUTR on 27 January 2019; S. Rasu pers. comm.). Interestingly, ZRC.2.6859 was extracted out of the gut of an Ahaetulla mycterizans . This observation is notable because T. temasekensis is semiaquatic ( Grismer et al. 2017), whereas A. mycterizans is arboreal ( Baker & Lim 2012), meaning that either T. temasekensis also climbs trees, as exhibited in the BTNR record mentioned above, or A. mycterizans also hunts on the ground. As A. mycterizans is quite common and never observed on the ground, it is more likely that T. temasekensis exhibits arboreal tendencies.

Occurrence. Restricted to a few swampy areas in and around CNR and WC. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Not Evaluated.

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Lorong Banir [= SF]: ZRC.2.3959 (24-May-1994) ; Nee Soon Swamp Forest : ZRC.2.2557 (28-Dec-1989) , ZRC.2.2667 (30-Apr-1990) , ZRC.2.7152 (23-Oct-1999) ; Old Upper Thomson Road : ZRC.2.6859 (no date); Pasir Laba Road: ZRC.2.6490 (21-Jun-2006) ; Upper Seletar Reservoir Park : ZRC.2.7111 (12-Sep-2015) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—MacRitchie North Forest—Nee Soon Swamp Forest—Old Upper Thomson Road—Pasir Laba Road—Sime Road Forest—Springleaf Forest—Upper Seletar Reservoir Park.

Family Varanidae Hardwicke & Gray, 1827 (3 species)

Varanidae Hardwicke & Gray, 1827: 225 View in CoL (type genus Varanus Merrem, 1820 ).

Genus Varanus Merrem, 1820 (3 species)

Varanvs Merrem, 1820: 58 (type species: Lacerta varia G. Shaw in White, 1790, by subsequent designation by Gray, 1827: 55; gender masculine).

SRF

Shangrao Forestry Institute

NHMUK

Natural History Museum, London

ZRC

Zoological Reference Collection, National University of Singapore

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Scincidae

Genus

Tytthoscincus

Loc

Tytthoscincus temasekensis Grismer, Wood, Lim & Liang, 2017

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P. 2023
2023
Loc

Tytthoscincus temasekensis Grismer, Wood, Lim & Liang, 2017: 578

Grismer, L. L. & Wood Jr., P. L. & Lim, K. P. L. & Liang, L. J. 2017: 578
2017
Loc

Tytthoscincus temasekensis L.L. Grismer, Wood, Lim & Liang, 2017: 574–584

Janssen, J. & Sy, E. 2022: 133
Grismer, L. L. & Quah, E. S. H. 2019: 242
Grismer, L. L. & Wood Jr., P. L. & Lim, K. P. L. & Liang, L. J. 2017: 584
2017
Loc

Tytthoscincus

Grismer, L. L. & Muin, M. A. & Wood Jr., P. L. & Anuar, S. & Linkem, C. W. 2016: 235
2016
Loc

Varanidae

Hardwicke, T. & Gray, J. E. 1827: 225
1827
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