Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766)

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 : 195-196

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.7968004

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/88502B73-FF58-B8B5-FF6B-42547BE80C46

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766)
status

 

Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766) View in CoL — Native; Indeterminate.

Anguis platura Linnaeus, 1766: 391 . Type material: None designated; type material apparently lost, according to Peters (1960a: 535) and Stuart (1963: 125). Type locality: None stated/traced; later designated as “ad littus insulae maris pacifici, Pine-isle” (= Isle of Pines, New Caledonia) by Gmelin (1789: 1122).

Pelagic Sea Snake

( Figures 22D & 22E View FIGURE 22 )

Singapore records.

Hydrus pelamis — Cantor, 1847c: 1057.

Hydrophis (Pelamis) bicolor — Jan, 1863: 109.

Pelamis bicolor — Dennys, 1880a: 3.— Blanford, 1881: 216.

Hydrophis bicolor — Jan & Sordelli, 1870 –1881: pl. 40 II 4.

Hydrus platurus — Flower, 1896: 891.— Hanitsch, 1898: 20.— Flower, 1899: 686.—Ridley, 1899: 209.— Barbour, 1912: 129.— Boulenger, 1912: 181.— Hanitsch, 1912b: 17.— de Rooij, 1917: 224.— Smith, 1920: 6.—Sworder, 1923: 68.

Pelamis platurus — Smith, 1926: 116.— Smith, 1943: 477.

Pelamis platura — Cox et al., 1998: 35.— Das, 2010: 324.— Das, 2012a: 103.—Wallach et al., 2014: 540.

Pelamis platyurus [sic]—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 55.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 149.— L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 106.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 149.

Pelamis ” —P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 302.

Hydrophis platura — Das, 2018: 115.

Remarks. Well-known for being one of few tetrapods with the largest distributional ranges (spanning across the Indo-Pacific oceans), and for being the only sea snake that is pelagic and inhabits the eastern Pacific, the occurrence of H. platurus in Singapore is known from only four museum specimens, and from Cantor (1847c) who first reported it from Singapore saying that it was rare based on catches in fishing nets. Jan (1863) reported one specimen at ZMH, and Dennys (1880a) and Blanford (1881) reported another at the Raffles Museum which should be ZRC.2.2157. Smith (1920) referred to a specimen (“no. 938”) from Singapore (i.e., MCZ R-938) (Smith 1926). Inspection of this specimen shows that it was collected by Putnam in 1857 at Singapore Harbour. The last museum specimen, and latest record of H. platurus , is ZRC.2.2156 which was collected on 2 February 1926 off Katong ( Fig. 22D View FIGURE 22 ). As mentioned above, intensive surveys are required to determine the present status of H. platurus in Singapore.

Occurrence. Known from a few specimens predating 1926. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2017].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : ZRC.2.2157 (no date); Katong : ZRC.2.2156 (02-Feb-1926) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): MCZ, ZMH.

Singapore localities. Katong*—Singapore Harbour.

NHMUK

Natural History Museum, London

ZRC

Zoological Reference Collection, National University of Singapore

MCZ

Museum of Comparative Zoology

ZMH

Zoologisches Museum Hamburg

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Elapidae

Genus

Hydrophis

Loc

Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766)

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

Hydrophis platura

Das, I. 2018: 115
2018
Loc

Pelamis platura

Das, I. 2012: 103
Das, I. 2010: 324
Cox, M. J. & van Dijk, P. P. & Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K. 1998: 35
1998
Loc

Hydrus platurus

de Rooij, N. 1917: 224
Barbour, T. 1912: 129
Boulenger, G. A. 1912: 181
Hanitsch, R. 1912: 17
Flower, S. S. 1899: 686
Hanitsch, R. 1898: 20
Flower, S. S. 1896: 891
1896
Loc

Pelamis bicolor

Blanford, W. T. 1881: 216
Dennys, N. B. 1880: 3
1880
Loc

Hydrophis (Pelamis) bicolor

Jan, G. 1863: 109
1863
Loc

Hydrus pelamis

Cantor, T. E. 1847: 1057
1847
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