Argyrophis muelleri (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 : 222-223

Argyrophis muelleri (Schlegel, 1839) — Native.

Typhlops Mülleri Schlegel, 1839: 39 . Holotype: RMNH.RENA.3718, by original designation. Type locality: “bei Padang auf Sumatra entdeckt” (= Padang, Sumatra), Indonesia.

White-bellied Blind Snake ( Figure 25F )

Singapore records.

Argyrophis bicolor — Gray, 1845: xi, 136.

Typhlops nigro -albus — Cantor, 1847b: 898.— Cantor, 1847c: 1069, 1074, 1076.— Ģnther, 1864: xvi, 172.— Flower, 1899: 614.—Ridley, 1899: 207.

Typhlops nigro albus —Theobald, 1876: 228.

Typhlops nigroalbus — Boulenger, 1893: 24.— Flower, 1896: 877.— Flower, 1899: 653.— Boulenger, 1912: 104.— de Rooij, 1917: 12.—Sworder, 1923: 59.

Typhlops diardii muelleri — Smith, 1943: 527.

Typhlops diardii müelleri — de Haas, 1950: 515.

Typhlops diardi muelleri — Harman, 1961: 183.— Chuang, 1973: 4.—F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 115.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 53.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 106.

Typhlops muelleri —Taylor, 1965: 652.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 53, 145.— David & Vogel, 1996: 33.— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 433.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 39.—E.K. Chua, 2002: 107 (Pulau Ubin).—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 90, 160.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 264.— Das, 2010: 350.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 244.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 90, 160.— Das, 2012a: 138.—N. Baker & B.C. Ng, 2014: 257 (Jalan Lada Hitam [USF]).— Stuebing et al., 2014: 60.—Wallach et al., 2014: 767.—I.S. Law, I.T. Law & Groenewoud, 2016: 145 (“access road to Upper Peirce Reservoir Park” [UPRR]).

Typhlops diardii mulleri [sic]— Grandison, 1972: 77.

Typhlops diardi —F.L.K. Lim, 1991: 53.— Khan, 1998: 7.— Khan, 2003: 4.

Argyrophis muelleri — Das, 2018: 154.— Charlton, 2020: 74.

Remarks. Argyrophis muelleri has suffered from a complicated taxonomic history because it was described under multiple names from different localities (Taylor 1965; Wallach et al. 2014), including Singapore. Gray (1845) who first reported it from Singapore, described a specimen from Hardwicke’s collection as A. bicolor ( Table 1 ). Argyrophis muelleri has even appeared in Boulenger (1893) and de Rooij (1917) as four separate species: Typhlops nigroalbus ( Boulenger 1893; de Rooij 1917); T. muelleri ( Boulenger 1893; de Rooij 1917); T. siamensis ( Boulenger 1893) , and; T. kapaladua ( de Rooij 1917) . The issue was further complicated when Smith (1923) synonymised T. nigroalbus with T. diardii , which ranges from Pakistan, India, and Nepal east to southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos (Wallach et al. 2014). This arrangement was accepted until Taylor (1965) separated them back into two separate species.

Argyrophis muelleri has rarely been seen in Singapore. After Gray (1845) described A. bicolor , Boulenger (1893) examined a second specimen in the NHMUK collections, and Claine most likely collected specimen MNHN-RA-1891.202 around 23 July 1891 when he collected a specimen of S. melanocephalus (MNHN-RA-1891.205).Then no other record of A. muelleri was documented until Harman (1961) collected one 68 years later. After this record, Argyrophis muelleri has been reported only five more times, twice at Pulau Ubin, once on 24 January 1999 near Tanjong Chek Jawa ( Chua 2002), once (ZRC.2.6943) on 23 July 2011, one alive in a drain at Jalan Lada Hitam on 31 July 2009 ( Fig. 25F ) ( Baker & Ng 2014), one roadkill on UPRR on 27 August 2016 (Law et al. 2016), and one (ZRC.2.7334) at Upper Seletar on 3 July 2018.

Occurrence. Wide-ranging. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Critically Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2017].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): BMNH 1845.3.7 (no date), BMNH 1946.1 .10.63 (no date) [holotype of Argyrophis bicolor ]; Mandai, Orchidville Nursery, Jalan Lada Hitam [USF]: ZRC.2.6836 (31-Jul-2009); Pulau Ubin: ZRC.2.4574 (24-Jan-1999) , ZRC.2.6943 (23- Jul-2011); Upper Peirce Reservoir Road : ZRC.2.7226 (27-Aug-2016); Upper Seletar: ZRC.2.7334 (03- Jul-2018 ); Upper Seletar Reservoir Road : ZRC.2.6931 (08-Mar-2011).

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): MNHN.

Singapore localities. Pulau Ubin—Ulu Sembawang Forest—Upper Peirce Reservoir Road—Upper Seletar (not specified)—Upper Seletar Reservoir Road.

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].