Hydrophis cyanocinctus (Daudin, 1803)

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 : 239-240

Hydrophis cyanocinctus (Daudin, 1803) — Uncertain.

Annulated Sea Snake

( Figure 26G )

Singapore records.

Hydrus striatus — Cantor, 1847c: 1057.

Hydrophis aspera — Gray, 1849: 55.— Ģnther, 1864: xxiv, 365.— Knight, 1867: 154.— Fayrer, 1871: 21.— Smith, 1920: 9.

Distira cyanocincta — Boulenger, 1896: 296.— Flower, 1896: 892.—Ridley, 1899: 209.

Hydrophis cyanocinctus — Boulenger, 1912: 185.— de Rooij, 1917: 237.—Sworder, 1923: 68.— Smith, 1926: 56.—F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 97, 115.— Gopalakrishnakone, 1990: 3.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—L.M. Chou, 1993: 153.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 133.— Das, 2010: 320.— Das, 2012a: 94.— Das, 2018: 112.

Disteira cyanocincta —Stejneger, 1907: 428.

Leioselasma cyanocincta —K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 93, 149.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 148.—Wallach et al., 2014: 366.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 275.

Remarks. Historically, H. cyanocinctus was known from Singapore from one specimen at NHMUK which Gray (1849) described as a new species, H. aspera , with the locality as ‘ Singapore?’. Cantor (1847c) first reported H. cyanocinctus from Singapore stating that it is rare based on catches in fishing nets, but no specimens were ever collected. Nonetheless, subsequent publications recognised the locality of Singapore as valid ( Ģnther 1864; Flower 1896; Boulenger 1912). No other specimens were ever collected aside from five specimens collected during Voris and Jeffries study. The specimens include two collected around Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca and three specimens collected at Kangkar Fish Market from an unknown locality. Thus, we exclude these specimens as originating in Singapore (refer to “A note on sea snakes in Singapore ” above). Additional specimens at LKCNHM were also taken from the South China Sea by Voris and Jeffries. Lim & Lee (1989) describe H. cyanocinctus as common in Singapore’s waters, but provide no details on observations or records.

Occurrence: No credible records.

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated.

Conservation priority. Immediate priority, if discovered.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2010].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1946.1 .9.19 (no date) [holotype of H. aspera ] .

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

Singapore localities. No published localities.

Figures

FIGURE 26. A) Trimeresurus hageni, B)Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus, C)Tropidolaemus wagleri (male), D) Tropidolaemus wagleri (juvenile female), E) Tropidolaemus wagleri (adult female), F) Xenopeltis unicolor, G) Hydrophis cyanocinctus, and H) Hydrophis viperinus. Photographs by: Alex Figueroa [A–F], and Sanjaya Bandara [G–H].