Ichthyophis singaporensis Taylor, 1960

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 : 23-24

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.7967633
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/88502B73-FF8C-B861-FF6B-41087D4C0931
treatment provided by	Plazi (2023-05-22 22:16:45, last updated by Felipe 2025-02-14 02:20:25)
scientific name	Ichthyophis singaporensis Taylor, 1960
status

Treatment

Ichthyophis singaporensis Taylor, 1960 View in CoL — Native; Indeterminate.

Ichthyophis singaporensis Taylor, 1960: 55–58 View in CoL , figs. 5, 6. Holotype: BMNH 1959.1.2.43, by original designation. Type locality: “Singapore”.

Singapore Caecilian (Not figured. No photos of a live I. singaporensis View in CoL exist.)

Singapore records.

Ichthyophis glutinosus Var View in CoL ?— Cantor, 1847c: 1058 (“Montgomerie’s garden”).

Ichthyophis glutinosus View in CoL — Hooker, 1854: 26.

Epicrium monochroum (non-Bleeker, 1858)— Ģnther, 1864: xxvii, 443.

Ichthyophis monochrous View in CoL (non-Bleeker, 1858)— Boulenger, 1882a: 91.— Boulenger, 1890a: 517.— Flower, 1896: 914.—A.L. Butler, 1904: 402.— Hanitsch, 1905: 23.—Hanitsch, 1908: 49.— Boulenger, 1912: 286.— Kampen, 1923: 3.— Bourret, 1942: 139.

Icthyophis [sic] singaporensis —Ng, Chou & Yang, 1988b: 37.

Ichthyophis singaporensis Taylor, 1960: 55 View in CoL .—Taylor, 1968: 135.—P.K.L. Ng, 1989: 13.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 56.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 143.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 93.— K.K.P. Lim, 1994: 209.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 1995: 111.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 20.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2000: 109.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 143.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 168.— D.C.J. Yeo et al., 2010: 152.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 257.—T.M. Leong, 2011: 20.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 168.—K.Y. Chong et al., 2013: 289.

Ichthyophis cf. singaporensis View in CoL —K.K.P. Lim & C.M. Yang, 1991: 218.

Ichthyophis sp. (part)—T.M. Leong, 2000: 4.

Remarks. Remarkably, despite being Singapore’s rarest amphibian, being known only from the type-specimen ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ), I. singaporensis was also the first amphibian recorded from Singapore. Ichthyophis singaporensis was first described as ‘ I. glutinosus Var ?’ by Cantor (1847c) who received the specimen from Montgomerie in 1843 when it was dug up from his garden. Hanitsch (1908) incorrectly listed the collection date as 1863. Cantor (1847c) found the specimen to differ from I. paucisulcus , but did not find conclusive data to designate it as a new species. Ichthyophis singaporensis was later described as a new species by Taylor (1960). Taylor (1968) included three specimens collected from Peninsular Malaysia as part of I. singaporensis . The specimens are from “ Selangor ”, Batu Gajah, and Kuala Kangsi. As of today, I. singaporensis is only known from these four specimens. No live photographs exist of I. singaporensis , but Taylor (1960) provides a radiographic image of the specimen.

Occurrence. Only known from type-specimen predating 1847. Likely extirpated.

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated.

Conservation priority. Immediate priority, if rediscovered.

IUCN conservation status. Data Deficient [2019].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1959.1 .2.43 (no date) [holotype] .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. One unknown location.

Order Anura Fitzinger, 1843 (29 species)

Anura Fitzinger, 1843: 34 .

Family Bufonidae Gray, 1825 (3 species)

Bufonina Gray, 1825: 214 (type genus Bufo Laurenti, 1768 ).

Genus Duttaphrynus Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green & Wheeler, 2006 (1 species)

Duttaphrynus Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green & Wheeler, 2006: 219–220 (type species: Bufo melanostictus Schneider, 1799 , by original designation; gender masculine).

References

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Boulenger, G. A. (1890 a) First report on additions to the lizard collection in the British Museum (Natural History). Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1890 (1), 77 - 86.

Boulenger, G. A. (1912) A Vertebrate Fauna of the Malay Peninsula from the Isthmus of Kra to Singapore, Including the Adjacent Islands. Reptilia and Batrachia, Taylor and Francis, London, xiii + 294 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 10813

Bourret, R. (1942) Les Batraciens de l'Indochine. Institut oceanographique de l'Indochine, Hanoi, x + 547 pp., 4 pls.

Butler, A. L. (1904) A list of the batrachians known to inhabit the Malay Peninsula, with some remarks on their habits, distribution, & c. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 15 (3), 387 - 402.

Cantor, T. E. (1847 c) Catalogue of reptiles inhabiting the Malayan Peninsula and islands, collected or observed by Theodore Cantor, Esq., M. D. Bengal Medical Service. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 16 (Part 2, No. 183), 1026 - 1078. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 5057

Chou L. M., Ng, P. K. L. & Lim, K. K. P. (1994) Animalia. In: Wee, Y. C. & Ng, P. K. L. (Eds.), A First Look at Biodiversity in Singapore. National Council on the Environment, Singapore, pp. 70 - 106.

Flower, S. S. (1896) Notes on a collection of reptiles and batrachians made in the Malay Peninsula in 1895 - 96; with a list of the species recorded from that region. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1896 (4), 856 - 914, pls. 44 - 46.

Gnther, A. (1863) Third account of new species of snakes in the collection of the British Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 3, 12 (71), 348 - 365. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00222936308681536

Gnther, A. C. L. G. (1864) The Reptiles of British India. Trustees [of the British Museum], London, xxvii + 452 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 5012

Hanitsch, R. (1905) Raffles Library and Museum. In: Annual Departmental Reports of the Straits Settlements for the Year 1904. Published by Authority, Singapore, pp. 18 - 26.

Hooker, J. D. (1854) Himalayan Journals; Or, Notes of a Naturalist in Bengal, the Sikkim and Nepal Himalayas, the Khasia Mountains, & c. In Two Volumes. Vol. II. John Murray, London, xii + 487 pp., 6 pls., frontispiece. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 60447

Iskandar, D. T. & Colijn, E. (2000) Preliminary checklist of Southeast Asian and New Guinean herpetofauna. I. Amphibians. Treubia, 31 (3, Supplement), 1 - 133.

Kampen, P. N. van (1923) The Amphibia of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. E. J. Brill, Leiden, x + 304 pp.

Leong, T. M. (2000) Amphibian tales. Nature Watch, 8 (4), 2 - 8.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K. (1992) A Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, Singapore, 160 pp.

Lim, K. P. & Lim, F. L. K. (2002) A Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Singapore. Revised Edition. Singapore Science Centre, Singapore, 160 pp.