Raclitia indica Gray, 1842

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 : 214-215

Raclitia indica Gray, 1842 — Native.

Raclitia indica Gray, 1842: 67 . Syntypes (2): BMNH 1946.1 .2.36 and 1946.1.2.46, by original designation. Type locality: “ India ”, in error; later designated as “Malay Peninsula?” (= Peninsular Malaysia) by Boulenger (1896: 4).

West Malaysia Water Snake ( Figure 24F )

Singapore records.

Enhydris indica —Smith, 1930: 60.—Tweedie, 1953: 86.—Tweedie, 1961: 89.— Gyi, 1970: 77.—Tweedie, 1983: 102.—B.L. Lim et al., 1995: 360.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 90.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 169.—K.K.P. Lim & D’Rozario, 2009: 11.— Das, 2010: 327.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 169.—J.C. Murphy & Voris, 2014: 33.—Thomas et al., 2014: 309.—Wallach et al., 2014: 269.

Raclitia indica —Quah et al., 2018b: 53–64.— Charlton, 2020: 106.—I.S. Law et al., 2020: 165 (Upper Seletar).

Remarks. Raclitia indica is Singapore’s most recent rediscovery, the presence of this species on the island was previously represented by only one specimen deposited at the Dublin Museum (NMI) that was identified by Boulenger and first brought to attention by Smith (1930). Many researchers found the Singapore record doubtful ( Gyi 1970; Tweedie 1983; Baker & Lim 2008, 2012; Wallach et al. 2014), and Murphy (2007) stated that “[t]he Singapore locality is highly problematic”. Despite the uncertainty, the presence of R. indica in Singapore was substantiated on 19 September 2020 when a live individual was found swimming in a drain at US ( Law et al. 2020) ( Fig. 24F ). Prior to this rediscovery, nothing much was known of the specimen at NMI, but Law et al. (2020) discussed that it was collected in 1914 at a rubber estate at Bukit Sembawang by a Professor Johnson. Thus, R. indica went undetected a period of 106 years in Singapore ( Table 2 ).

Raclitia indica is an extremely rare snake (Quah et al. 2018b). For a long time, it was only known from five records including the NMI specimen (Tweedie 1983), until one was collected at Belum-Temengor, Peninsular Malaysia (Lim et al. 1995). More recently, Quah et al. (2018b) reported three new findings, bringing the total number of records to eight, and contributed the first photographs of a live specimen. Raclitia indica was first described by Gray (1842) who gave “ British India ” as the origin of the two syntypes from Hardwicke’s collection ( Gray 1849). Boulenger (1896) then corrected the locality to “Malay Peninsula?”, which was accepted by Flower (1896). Smith (1930) discussed that sometime after Boulenger (1912), Boulenger identified two additional specimens of R. indica , one from Taiping at the Selangor Museum and the NMI specimen. The fifth historic record was of a live individual collected at Bukit Mandol Forest Reserve in Klang, Peninsular Malaysia ( Lim & Kamarudin 1975). The recent findings reported by Quah et al. (2018b) were of two specimens taken at Lubuk Yu and one photographed at Lake Chini. The recent rediscovery in Singapore brings the total number of records for R. indica to nine, and contributes additional photographic documentation and morphometric data.

Occurrence. Known only from one specimen predating 1930 and on specimen discovered in 2020.

Singapore conservation status. Critically Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Data Deficient [2010].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. No specimens.

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Bukit Sembawang: NMI.

Singapore localities. Bukit Sembawang*—Upper Seletar (not specified).

Family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger, 1843 (1 species)

Figures

FIGURE 24. A) Enhydris enhydris, B) Fordonia leucobalia, C) Gerarda prevostiana, D) Homalopsis buccata, E) Phytolopsis punctata, F) Raclitia indica, G) Psammodynastes pictus, and H) Asthenodipsas laevis. Photographs by: Joan Lee [A], Alex Figueroa [B–D], Holly Siow [E], Dennis Nathaniel Chan [F], Nick Baker [G], and Kelvin K.P. Lim [H].