Eutropis multifasciata (Kuhl, 1820)

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 : 121-123

Eutropis multifasciata (Kuhl, 1820) — Native.

Scincus multifasciatus Kuhl, 1820: 126–128 . Neotype: MZB 11912, designated byAmarasinghe et al. (2018: 345). Type locality: None stated/traced; later designated as “ Insula Java ” by Fitzinger (1826: 52); later restricted to “ Java ”, Indonesia by Mertens (1930); later restricted to “Jalan Tanah, trail from Cilitung to the Pulosari Waterfall, Pandeglang, Banten (previously West Java), Indonesia, 525 m (6.327568S, 105.959888E; datum WGS84)” via neotype designation.

Many-lined Sun Skink

( Figure 14G ; Lornie Forest)

Singapore records.

Euprepis rufescens var. D, var. E, var. F— Cantor, 1847a: 653.

Tiliqua rufescens —M̧ller, 1878: 630.

Mabuia multifasciata — Flower, 1896: 870.— Hanitsch, 1898: 19.— Flower, 1899: 645.— Hanitsch, 1899: 12 ( Singapore Botanic Gardens).—Ridley, 1899: 206.—Hanitsch, 1908: 42.— Hanitsch, 1912b: 15.— Sworder, 1924a: 18, 20 (Pulau Ayer Merbau; Pulau Sakra; Pulau Senang; Pulau Ubin).—Sworder, 1925a: 67.— Cross, 2020a: 5 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020b: 2 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020c: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020d: 2 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020e: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020f: 1.— Cross, 2020h: 7 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020i: 2, 3 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020j: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020k: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020l: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020n: 6, 7 (Changi; Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).

Mabuya multifasciata —D.S. Johnson, 1964: 26.— Grandison, 1972: 83.—F.L.K. Lim, 1984: 18.— Choo-Toh et al., 1985: 127 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).—K. Lim & F. Lim, 1988a: 28 (Yusof Ishak House [NUS]).—K. Lim & F. Lim, 1988b: 51 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).—Hall, 1989d: 33.— Denzer & Manthey, 1991: 317.—K. Lim, 1990a: 12 (Sungei Buloh Bird Sanctuary [= SBWR].— K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 55.—D.S. Johnson, 1992: 36.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 100–101, 149.—Wee, 1992: 74 (Lower Peirce Reservoir Park).—E.K. Chua, 1993: 83.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 106.—L.M. Chou, 1995: 147.—K. Lim, 1995: 18.—K.K.P. Lim, 1996: 50.— R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 387.— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 271.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 27.—E.K. Chua, 2002: 107 (Pulau Ubin).—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 149.— Anonymous, 2003: 92 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).

Gongylus (Euprepes) Sebae — Brygoo, 1985: 99.

Eutropis multifasciatus —N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 87, 160.—E.K. Chua, 2010: 21.— Das, 2010: 233.— P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 458.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 86, 160.— Davison et al., 2012: 5, 127.— Ang et al., 2012: 52 (Hort Park).—L.K. Wang et al., 2012: 104.—R. Subaraj, 2015: 9, 25, 31, 38, 49, 55 (Mandai Range Forest; Night Safari; Project Western Boundary [= MBP]; Singapore Zoo; Ulu Sembawang Forest; Upper Seletar Peninsula [= USNF]).—S. Subaraj, 2015: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (Mandai Range Forest; Night Safari; Project Western Boundary [= MBP]; Singapore Zoo; Upper Seletar Peninsula [= USNF]).—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 147, 148, 159, 180 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).

Eutropis multifasciata —L.L. Grismer, 2011a: 145.—L.L. Grismer, 2011b: 570, 576.—C.D. Ngo et al., 2014: 322.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 107.—E.K. Chua, 2015: 110.—E.K. Chua et al., 2016: 110.— K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 178 (Pulau Tekong).—Thomas, 2016: 40 (Belukar Track [BTNR]).— Amarasinghe et al., 2018: 347.—H.C. Ho et al., 2019: 124, 125 (Alexandra Woodlands; Clementi Forest).—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2019: 133 (Kent Ridge Park; National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus).—A. Tay, 2019a: 77.—Allain & Goodman, 2020: 217, 218 ( Singapore Botanic Gardens [Forest Plaza]).— Leo et al., 2020: 258.—K.K.P. Lim, 2020: 5 (Changi; Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Janssen & Sy, 2022: 111, 166.— Kurniawan et al., 2022: 111.

Eutrophis [sic] multifasciatus —E.K. Chua, 2015: 70.

“Skinks”—E.K. Chua, 2022: 182 (Seletar Aerospace).

Remarks. Since its first recording, E. multifasciata was regarded as extremely common ( Cantor 1847a) and remains abundant today ( Baker & Lim 2012). Although Flower (1896) insinuated E. multifasciata was common, he mentioned it was not as plentiful in Singapore as it was in Penang. Even with how abundant E. multifasciata is in Singapore, surprisingly no specimens were collected early on and deposited at NHMUK ( Boulenger 1887). Nonetheless, specimens were deposited at NMB (M̧ller 1878) and the Raffles Museum ( Hanitsch 1898), with the earliest specimens from Singapore being collected by Fontanier prior to 1841 ( Brygoo 1985). Sworder (1925a) also described E. multifasciata as common, and found it on several of the Southern Islands (Sworder 1924a). Surprisingly, E. multifasciata appears to be uncommon on PT ( Lim et al. 2016). As with other species, fresh observations of E. multifasciata were next reported 63 years later ( Lim & Lim 1988a) ( Table 2 ). Despite its considerably wide distribution, a recent study has shown that E. multifasciata shows little genetic variation, typical of wide-ranging species ( Amarasinghe et al. 2018).

Occurrence. Widespread. Common.

Singapore conservation status. Least Concern.

Conservation priority. Lowest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2018].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : ZRC.2.6361– ZRC.2.6362 (no date), ZRC.2.1710– ZRC.2.1718 (Jun-1899) , ZRC.2.1719 (29-Aug-1923) , ZRC.2.1720 (30-Sep-1923) , ZRC.2.1721 (Dec-1939) ; Botanic Gardens: ZRC.2.1701 (27-Apr-1898) , ZRC.2.1698– ZRC.2.1700 (Dec-1906) , ZRC.2.1702– ZRC.2.1708 (20-Jul-1921) , ZRC.2.1709 (Jan-1924) ; Fort Canning : ZRC.2.1696 (17-Feb-1898) ; Kent Ridge [ NUS] : ZRC.2.5723 (16-Jul-2003) , ZRC.2.7279 (01-Aug-2017) ; Mandai: ZRC.2.1722 (1949); Nee Soon Swamp Forest : ZRC.2.3266 (10-Feb-1991) , ZRC.2.5404 (16-Mar-2002) ; Pulau Brani: ZRC.2.1732 (no date); Pulau Marabau [= Pulau Ayer Merbau] : ZRC.2.1728 (04-May-1923) , ZRC.2.1729 (05-May-1923) , ZRC.2.1730 (06-May-1923) , ZRC.2.1731 (09-May-1923) ; Pulau Sakra: ZRC.2.1723– ZRC.2.1724 (13-May-1921) ; Pulau Senang: ZRC.2.1725– ZRC.2.1727 (May-1923) ; Pulau Tekong: ZRC.2.5253 (05-Oct-2001) ; Pulau Ubin: ZRC.2.1733– ZRC.2.1734 (24-Feb-1921) , ZRC.2.1735– ZRC.2.1737 (26-Feb-1921) , ZRC.2.1738 - ZRC.2.1739 (08-Mar-1921) , ZRC.2.1740 (11- Mar-1921) , ZRC.2.1741– ZRC.2.1742 (12-Mar-1921) , ZRC.2.1743 (13-Mar-1921) , ZRC.2.1744 (12-Apr-1921) , ZRC.2.1745– ZRC.2.1750 (13-Apr-1921) , ZRC.2.1751– ZRC.2.1752 (14-Apr-1921) , ZRC.2.1753– ZRC.2.1757 (29-Aug-1921) , ZRC.2.1758 (31-Aug-1921) ; RAF Tengah [= Tengah Air Base ] : BMNH 1983.956 (no date); Stamford Road : ZRC.2.1697 (19-Feb-1898) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): CAS, FMNH, KU, MCZ, NMW, SMNS, ZMH; MacRitchie Reservoir: UF; Mandai Road: CAS.

Singapore localities. Alexandra Woodlands—Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Changi—Clementi Forest—Fort Canning—Hort Park—Kent Ridge Park—Lornie Forest—Lower Peirce Reservoir Park—MacRitchie Reservoir—Mandai (not specified)—Mandai Bird Park—Mandai Range Forest—Mandai Road—National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus—Nee Soon Swamp Forest—Night Safari—Pulau Ayer Merbau—Pulau Brani—Pulau Sakra—Pulau Senang—Pulau Tekong—Pulau Ubin—Seletar Aerospace— Singapore Botanic Gardens—Singapore Island Country Club—Singapore Zoo—Stamford Road—Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve—Tengah Air Base—Ulu Sembawang Forest—Upper Seletar North Forest.

Figures

FIGURE 14. A) Hemiphyllodactylus typus, B) Lepidodactylus lugubris, C) Iguana iguana, D) Dasia grisea, E) Dasia olivacea, F) Emoia atrocostata, G) Eutropis multifasciatus, and H) Eutropis rugifera. Photographs by: Alex Figueroa [A, G], Holly Siow [B], Kelvin K.P. Lim [C], Law Ing Sind [D, H], Chloe Tan [E], and Nick Baker [F].