Hydrophis hardwickii (Gray, 1834)

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 : 194-195

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:78E23714-8973-4755-BC94-0A751D7D2B37

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7986109

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/88502B73-FF5B-B8B4-FF6B-41EA7D5D0BBA

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Hydrophis hardwickii (Gray, 1834)
status

 

Hydrophis hardwickii (Gray, 1834) View in CoL — Native.

Lapemis Hardwickii Gray, 1834 (in 1832–1835): pl. 87, fig. 2. Holotype: BMNH 1946.1 .18.39, by original designation. Type locality: None stated/traced; later designated as “ India ” by Gray (1849: 44).

Hardwicke’s Spine-bellied Sea Snake

( Figures 22B & 22C View FIGURE 22 )

Singapore records.

Hydrophis hardwickii —Steindachner, 1867: 85.— Charlton, 2020: 74.

Enhydris hardwickii — Boulenger, 1896: 301.— Flower, 1896: 892.—Ridley, 1899: 209.— Boulenger, 1912: 193.

Enhydris hardwickei [sic]— de Rooij, 1917: 240.

Lapemis hardwickii —Sworder, 1923: 70.— Smith, 1926: 108.— Lim, 1988d: 75 (Changi North).—F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 116.— Gopalakrishnakone, 1990: 3.

Lapemis curtus — Gritis & Voris, 1990: 2–4, 7, 9–10.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 55.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 93, 149.—L.M. Chou, 1993: 153.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 148.— Das, 2010: 323.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 302.— Das, 2012a: 98.—Wallach et al., 2014: 362.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 263.

Lapemis ” —L.W.H. Tan & P.K.L. Ng, 1992a: 145.

Lapemis curtus hardwickii — Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 139.

Hydrophis curtus View in CoL — Das, 2018: 111.

Remarks. A specimen of H. hardwickii was first collected from Singapore between 1857 and 1859 during the Austrian Novara expedition and reported by Steindachner (1867). Boulenger (1896) next reported it from two specimens he examined at NHMUK that were collected by Swinhoe. For 85 years, H. hardwickii was not reported from Singapore ( Table 2 View TABLE 2 ) until Voris and Jeffries collected two specimens around kelongs at LCK in 1981. They also amassed over 94 specimens from Kangkar Fish Market, but these were obtained from around Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca (which have been excluded; refer to “A note on sea snakes in Singapore ” above) and beyond, in the South China Sea. LKCNHM has two additional specimens, one from LKC collected on 14 February 1996 and one from Sentosa collected on 9 August 2006 ( Fig. 22B View FIGURE 22 ), and NHMUK has one additional specimen from Siglap. The only other published account was of a dead specimen collected from the beach at Changi North on 2 October 1988 ( Lim 1988d). Based on the number of specimens collected by Voris and Jeffries, H. hardwickii appears as if it may be common around Singapore, but this remains unknown due to lack of research on sea snakes in Singapore.

Occurrence. Known only from two specimens predating 1896, two specimens from LCK in 1981, and one specimens from Changi in 1988. Rare .

Singapore conservation status. Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Not Evaluated.

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1870.1 .4.10 (no date) , BMNH 1936.7.9.3–4 (no date); Lim Chu Kang : ZRC.2.2136 (11-Apr-1981) , ZRC.2.4754 (14-Feb-1996) , Sentosa: ZRC.2.6212 (09-Aug-2006) ; Siglap: BMNH 1936.7 .9.2 (no date) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No museum specimens.

Singapore localities. Changi North—Lim Chu Kang—Katong*—Sentosa—Siglap*.

NHMUK

Natural History Museum, London

ZRC

Zoological Reference Collection, National University of Singapore

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Elapidae

Genus

Hydrophis

Loc

Hydrophis hardwickii (Gray, 1834)

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P. 2023
2023
Loc

Hydrophis curtus

Das, I. 2018: 111
2018
Loc

Lapemis curtus hardwickii

Iskandar, D. T. & Colijn, E. 2001: 139
2001
Loc

Lapemis curtus

Das, I. 2012: 98
Das, I. 2010: 323
Lim, K. P. & Lim, F. L. K. 2002: 148
Chou L. M. & Ng, P. K. L. & Lim, K. K. P. 1994: 105
Chou, L. M. 1993: 153
Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K. 1992: 93
Gritis, P. A. & Voris, H. K. 1990: 2
1990
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