Calamaria lumbricoidea H. Boie

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 : 150-151

Calamaria lumbricoidea H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827— Native.

Calamaria lumbricoidea H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827: 540. Lectotype: RMNH.RENA.10543 (formerly RMNH 42), designated by Inger & Marx (1965: 77); paratypes (2): RMNH.RENA.42 (2), designated by Inger & Marx (1965: 91); RMNH.RENA.10543 does not exist in RMNH.RENA catalogue and RMNH.RENA.42 comprises one specimen catalogued as syntype. Type locality: “ Java ”, Indonesia.

Variable Reed Snake ( Figure 17F )

Singapore records.

Calamaria lumbricoidea —F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 117.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 61, 146.—K.K.P. Lim, 1993b: 2 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).—K.K.P. Lim & Subaraj, 1994: 6 (Old Upper Thomson Road).—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—R. Subaraj et al., 1995: 2 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve; Mandai; West Bridge [Sime Road Forest]).—K. Lim, 1995: 15 (Mandai Lake Road).— David & Vogel, 1996: 51.— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 326.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 379 (Fern Valley [BTNR]; Lower Peirce East Forest [LPF]; Main Road [BTNR]; Nee Soon Range [NSSF]; Rifle Range Forest).— Cox et al., 1998: 36.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 31.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 46.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 96, 150.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 264.— Das, 2010: 268.—L.L. Grismer, 2011a: 179.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 96, 160.— Das, 2012a: 29.— H.H. Tan & D.C.J. Yeo, 2013: 10 (Night Safari).—N. Baker, 2014c: 23 (Upper Seletar Reservoir Park).—Wallach et al., 2014: 139.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 184.— Khew & Yokohari, 2017: 11.— de Lang, 2017: 77.— Das, 2018: 36.— Leviton et al., 2018: 425.—O’Shea, 2018: 136.—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 161, 180 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, after R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997).— Charlton, 2020: 113.—K.K.P. Lim, 2020: 2, 5 (Sime Road Internment Camp [= SICC]).

Calamaria schlegeli (non Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)—R. Subaraj et al., 1995: 5 [= juvenile C. lumbricoidea ] (Mandai).

Calamaria sp. —K.K.P. Lim, 2020: 4 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).

Remarks. The first record of C. lumbricoidea from Singapore comes from a photograph of one collected at the Singapore Zoo during the 1980s (F.L.K. Lim pers. comm.) published in Lim & Lee (1989) and in Lim & Lim (1992), followed by one found dead at BTNR on 17 December 1993 ( Lim 1993b). The next few specimens found were also of dead individuals ( Lim & Subaraj 1994; Subaraj et al. 1995; Lim 1995). Teo & Rajathurai (1997) recorded 10 individuals during their surveys, but provided no details on their observations. Examination of museum records show that ZRC.2.2329 was collected in Hindhede Drive on 25 February 1986, and ZRC.2.2300 was collected in December 1987 at an unknown location. The last two published records of C. lumbricoidea were of two separate individuals each eating an earthworm at USRP, the first on 25 September 2013 and the second on 4 January 2014 (Baker 2014). Figure 17F represents an unpublished record of one photographed at SRF in February 2005 (K.K.P. Lim unpub. data).

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

Singapore conservation status. Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : ZRC.2.2300 (Dec-1987) ; Bukit Kalang [ SRF]: ZRC.2.6079 (07-Aug-2004) ; ZRC.2.6119 (14-Feb-2005) , ZRC.2.6326 (17-Jan-2007) ; Bukit Timah Nature Reserve : ZRC.2.3401 (17-Dec-1993) , ZRC.2.3528 (Aug-1996) , ZRC.2.7019 (2000), ZRC.2.4776 (05-Jul-2000) , ZRC.2.5261 (09-Oct-2001) , ZRC.2.5537 (20-Mar-2002) , Hindhede Drive: ZRC.2.2329 (25-Feb-1986) ; Mandai: ZRC.2.3402 (14-Feb-1994) , ZRC.2.3403 (21-Feb-1994) ; Upper Seletar Reservoir Road : ZRC.2.6847 (28-Sep-2009) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Lower Peirce Forest—Mandai (not specified)—Mandai Lake Road—Night Safari—Old Upper Thomson Road—Rifle Range Forest—Sime Road Forest—Singapore Island Country Club—Upper Seletar Reservoir Park—Upper Seletar Reservoir Road.

Figures

FIGURE 17. A) Dendrelaphis kopsteini, B) Dendrelaphis pictus, C) Dryophiops rubescens, D) Calamaria albiventer, E) Calamaria lovii, F) Calamaria lumbricoidea, G) Calamaria schlegeli, and H) Pseudorabdion longiceps. Photographs by: Law Ing Sind [A, E], Alex Figueroa [B, G], Emmanuel Goh [C], Evan S.H. Quah [D], and Kelvin K.P. Lim [F, H].