Nyctixalus pictus (Peters, 1871)

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 : 58-59

Nyctixalus pictus (Peters, 1871) — Native.

Ixalus pictus W.C.H. Peters, 1871: 580 . Holotype: MSNG 10062 , according to Capocaccia (1957: 217). Type locality: “Sarawak”, East Malaysia.

Cinnamon Bush Frog

( Figure 7D )

Singapore records.

Ixalus pictus — Flower, 1896: 908 (Bukit Timah).—A.L. Butler, 1904: 204.—Robinson, 1905: 30 (Bukit Timah).— Boulenger, 1912: 255.

Philautus pictus —van Kampen, 1923: 269–270.— Bourret, 1942: 455.

Hazelia pictus —Taylor, 1962: 506–509 (“Valley Contour Path, Bukit Timali” [= Fern Valley, BTNR]).

Philautus pictus pictus — Inger, 1966: 349–352.

Nyctixalus pictus —K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 56.—K.K.P. Lim & C.M. Yang, 1991: 227 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 37, 144.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 93.—K.K.P. Lim, 1994a: 331.—K.K.P. Lim, 1996: 50.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 400 (Fern Valley [BTNR]; Main Road [BTNR]; Nee Soon Range [NSSF]; Tiup Tiup [BTNR]).— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 124.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 18.—T.M. Leong & L.M. Chou, 1999: 113–115.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 144.— Malkmus et al., 2002: 177.— Das & Haas, 2005: 381.—K.K.P. Lim & T.M. Leong, 2008: 264.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 60, 159.—T.M. Leong & S.C. Teo, 2009: 24.—Bickford et al., 2010: 121.—L.L. Grismer, 2011a: 59.—Figueroa & Selveindran, 2011: 261.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 487.—T.M. Leong, 2011: 22, 23.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 60, 159.—L.K. Wang et al., 2012: 121.—E.K. Chua, 2015: 6, 32.—R. Subaraj, 2015: 54, 56 (Mandai Range Forest; Stephen Lee Woods [= RPN]).—S. Subaraj, 2015: 3, 4, 5 (Mandai Range Forest; Stephen Lee Woods [= RPN]; Upper Seletar Peninsula [= USNF]).—S.M. Chong et al., 2018: 253.—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 153, 179 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve; Dairy Farm Nature Park).—D. Ng & Taha, 2021: 17 ( Singapore Botanic Gardens Rain Forest).— E.K. Chua, 2022: 12 (Central Catchment Nature Reserve).

Nyctixalus pictus pictus —W.C. Brown & Alcala, 1994: 188–189.

Theloderma pictum —Supsup et al., 2017: 4.

Remarks. Nyctixalus pictus is a phytotelma breeder ( Inger et al. 2017), and thanks to unpublished research from students at NUS demonstrating that it successfully breeds in artificial containers, N. pictus was added to NParks species recovery plan (NParks 2017). NParks anticipates adopting the artificial breeding container method to translocate tadpoles to suitable areas in hopes of expanding N. pictus’ distribution in Singapore. A pilot study was done between December 2017 and March 2018 using this method to translocate individuals to the remnant primary forest patch in SBG Rain Forest (Ng & Taha 2021). Fortunately, the pilot study proved successful and N. pictus has successfully established a population at the translocation site.

Hanitsch collected the first Singapore specimen of N. pictus (and the first specimen for the Malay Peninsula) in 1896 at BTNR ( Flower 1896). Evidently, N. pictus was rarely collected historically. Aside from Hanitsch’s specimen, only three larvae in the Raffles Museum dated 1933, two specimens from Hendrickson dated 1958 at BPBM, and two specimens from Berry and Goh dated 1959 deposited at BPBM are known. The two specimens that Taylor (1962) examined were those collected by Berry and Goh. Lim & Yang (1991) reported only one specimen at LKCNHM, which was collected by Murphy in 1980. Thus, after Hanitsch’s specimen, the next published field observation of N. pictus was 101 years later ( Table 2 ) by Teo & Rajathurai (1997) who found it common at BTNR and who discovered the first population outside of BTNR at NSSF in 1996. Although seldom reported in the literature, N. pictus is common and even tolerates degraded forests (A. Figueroa pers. obs.).

Occurrence. Restricted to CNR and surrounding Nature Parks and forests. Common.

Singapore conservation status. Vulnerable.

Conservation priority. Moderate.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2022].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve : ZRC.1.11004– ZRC.1.11006 (15- Jun-1933) , ZRC.1.1534 (1980), ZRC.1.3476 (27-Jul-1997) , ZRC.1.4607 (09-Jun-2000) , ZRC.1.8023 (28-Apr-2001) , ZRC.1.8129:8131 (Jun-2001) , ZRC.1.8044– ZRC.1.8045 (08-Jun-2001) , ZRC.1.10531 (Jan-2003) ; Mandai Orchid Garden [= MBP] : ZRC.1.12586 (16-Feb-2007) ; Nee Soon Swamp Forest : ZRC.1.3295 (01-Feb-1996) ; Rifle Range Road: ZRC.1.8647 (10-Oct-2001) ; Upper Seletar Reservoir [ USRP] : ZRC.1.8397 (24-Aug-2001) , ZRC.1.10527– ZRC.1.10529 (15-Mar-2003) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Bukit Timah [= BTNR]: BPBM.

Singapore localities. Bukit Timah (not specified)—Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Dairy Farm Nature Park— Mandai Bird Park—Mandai Range Forest—Nee Soon Swamp Forest—Rainforest Park North—Singapore Botanic Gardens—Upper Seletar North Forest—Upper Seletar Reservoir Park.

Genus Polypedates Tschudi, 1838 (1 species)

Polypedates Tschudi, 1838: 34 , 75 (type species: Hyla leucomystax Gravenhorst, 1829 , by subsequent designation by Fitzinger, 1843: 31; gender masculine).

Figures

FIGURE 7. A) Pulchrana laterimaculata, B) Sylvirana guentheri, C) Leptomantis cyanopunctatus, D) Nyctixalus pictus, E) Polypedates leucomystax, F) Theloderma horridum, G) Crocodylus porosus, and H) Caretta caretta. Photographs by: Alex Figueroa [A–B, D–F], Marcus A.H. Chua [C], Jensen G.H. Seah [G], and Kelvin K.P. Lim [H].