Rhabdophis chrysargos (Schlegel, 1837)

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 : 287

Rhabdophis chrysargos (Schlegel, 1837) — Erroneous.

Speckle-bellied Keelback

Singapore records.

Rhabdophis chrysargos — Das, 2010: 340.— Das, 2012a: 123.— Das, 2018: 93.

Remarks. Rhabdophis chrysargos ranges from southern Myanmar east to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and China, and south to Peninsular Malaysia, East Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines (Wallach et al. 2014). Das (2010) first listed Singapore as part of the distribution for R. chrysargos , but we are unsure where he acquired the record from since there are no publications reporting it from Singapore. It may be possible that Das (2010) was referring to Girard’s (1858b) “ Tropidonotus junceus ” specimen, which is a subjective synonym of Rhabdophis chrysargos (Wallach et al. 2014) . The specimen catalogued as USNM 5541 has since been reidentified as X. trianguligerus . However, in reading Girard’s (1858b) description and examining his illustration ( Girard 1858b) and the specimen (USNM 5541), we find the specimen is indeed H. petersii .

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. No specimens.

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Family Elapidae H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827 (2 species)

Genus Hydrophis Latreille in Sonnini & Latreille, 1801 (2 species)