Subdoluseps bowringii ( Ģnther, 1864 )

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 : 125-126

Subdoluseps bowringii ( Ģnther, 1864) — Native.

Eumeces bowringii Ģnther, 1864: 91 . Holotype: BMNH 1946.8 .18.82 (formerly BM 56.11.17.41), by original designation. Type locality: “ Hongkong ”.

Bowring’s Agile Skink

( Figure 15B ; Jalan Hajijah)

Singapore records.

Euprepes (Riopa) punctatostriatus Peters, 1871: 31 .

Lygosoma bowringii — Boulenger, 1887: 308.— Flower, 1896: 875.— Flower, 1899: 650.— Boulenger, 1912: 92.—Sworder, 1925a: 68 (Mandai; Kranji).—Sworder, 1925c: 101.— Smith, 1930: 35.— Hall, 1989: 33 (Pasir Panjang Hill).—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2007: 64.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 85, 160.—M.F.C. Ng, 2009: 109 (Semakau Landfill [PS]).— Das, 2010: 238.—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2010: 89.—M.A.H. Chua, 2011: 281.— Corlett, 2011b: 91.—L.L. Grismer, 2011a: 150.—L.L. Grismer, 2011b: 615, 618.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 458.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 85, 160.— M.F.C Ng, 2012: 69, 146 (Semakau Landfill [PS]).—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 129.— Bauer, 2016: 94.—L.J. Lim, 2016: 68.—H.C. Ho et al., 2019: 125 (Alexandra Woodlands).—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 159, 180 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, after R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997).— Cross, 2020a: 6 (Changi; Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020b: 2 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020c: 1 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020d: 1, 2 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020e: 1, 2 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020g: 1, 3 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020h: 2, 7 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020i: 1, 2 (Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).— Cross, 2020j: 1.— Cross, 2020n: 6, 7 (Changi; Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).—K.K.P. Lim, 2020: 5 (Changi; Sime Road Camp [= SICC]).

Lygosoma Bowringii —Ridley, 1899: 207.

Lygosoma spp. —F.L.K. Lim, 1984: 18.

Riopa bowringii —K. Lim, 1990a: 10 (Changi North Beach).— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 274.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 27.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 149.

Riopa bowringi — Denzer & Manthey, 1991: 317.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 55.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 104, 149.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 106.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 388.—E.K. Chua, 2002: 107 (Pulau Ubin).— Anonymous, 2003: 92 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).

Lygosoma bowringi —B.P.L. Goh et al., 2002: 57.—K.K.P. Lim, 2013a: 42 (Outward Bound School Camp [Pulau Ubin]).—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 179 (Pulau Tekong).—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2019: 129, 133 (Kent Ridge Park; National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus).

Subdoluseps bowringii — Janssen & Sy, 2022: 124, 170.

Remarks. The first specimen of S. bowringii from Singapore was collected by Jagor and was newly described by Peters (1871) as Euprepes (Riopa) punctatostriatus ( Table 1 ). Boulenger (1887) later synonymised it with S. bowringii . Surprisingly, as ubiquitous and common as S. bowringii is (see Baker & Lim 2012), it was not recorded by Flower (1896, 1899b), who mentioned that the only record of it in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore was by Peters (1871). Despite three specimens stored at the Raffles Museum from 1899, 1914, and 1917, Sworder (1925) was the next to report S. bowringii from Singapore, having collected a specimen at Kranji and one at Mandai. Subdoluseps bowringii then went unreported for 64 years ( Table 2 ) until Hall (1989) observed it at Pasir Panjang Hill. However, records from 1944 and 1945 by Cross (2020n) went unpublished until now ( Lim 2020). As mentioned above, S. bowringii is very common and found throughout Singapore, including urban areas (Teo & Rajathurai 1997; Baker & Lim 2012), yet reports of it are very scant (see records above). This can be attributed to its fossorial habits ( Grismer 2011b); however, S. bowringii spends plenty of time above-ground and is often sighted (Teo & Rajathurai 1997).

Occurrence. Ubiquitous. Common.

Singapore conservation status. Least Concern.

Conservation priority. Lowest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2021].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : ZRC.2.1574 [Jun-1899] , ZRC.2.1577 (20-Jun-1917); Bukit Mandai : ZRC.2.1575 (12-May-1914); Changi : ZRC.2.2539 (27-Jan-1990) ; Clementi Avenue 2: ZRC.2.6824 (25-May-2009) ; Eng Neo Avenue Forest : ZRC.2.3198– ZRC.2.3199 (24-Oct-1955) ; Holland Close: ZRC.2.5262 (Oct-2001) ; Kent Ridge [ NUS]: ZRC.2.2521 (1989), ZRC.2.3475 (Mar-1994) , ZRC.2.4863 (11-Jan-2001) , ZRC.2.5630 (10-Feb-2003) , ZRC.2.5646 (25-Mar-2003) , ZRC.2.6018 (09-Jan-2004) , ZRC.2.6308 (30-Nov-2006) , ZRC.2.6487 (14-Mar-2007) ; Kranji: ZRC.2.1578 (19-Oct-1922) ; Mandai: ZRC.2.1576 (Oct-1924) ; Nassim Hill: ZRC.2.6028 (23-Apr-2004) ; RAF Tengah [= Tengah Air Base]: BMNH 1983.957 (no date); Sungei Buloh Nature Park : ZRC.2.4819 (22-Aug-2000) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): CAS, FMNH, SAMA, WAM, ZMB; Eng Neo Avenue: BPBM; Havelock Road: UF.

Singapore localities. Alexandra Woodlands—Bukit Mandai—Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Changi(not specified)— Changi North Beach—Clementi Avenue 2—Eng Neo Avenue Forest—Havelock Road—Holland Close— Jalan Hajijah—Kent Ridge Park—Kranji—Mandai (not specified)—Nassim Hill—National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus—Pasir Panjang Hill—Pulau Semakau—Pulau Tekong—Pulau Ubin— Singapore Island Country Club—Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve—Tengah Air Base.

Genus Tytthoscincus Linkem, Diesmos & Brown, 2011 (1 species)

Tytthoscincus Linkem, Diesmos & Brown, 2011 : (type species: Tytthoscincus hallieri Lidth de Jeude,1905 , by monotypy; gender masculine).

Figures

FIGURE 15. A) Lipinia vittigera, B) Subdoluseps bowringii, C) Tytthoscincus temasekensis, D) Varanus dumerilii, E) Varanus nebulosus, F) Varanus salvator, G) Acrochordus granulatus, and H) Ahaetulla fasciolata. Photographs by:Alex Figueroa [A–B, F], Shivaram Rasu [C], Law Ing Sind [D, G], Thio Hui Bing [E], and Lena S.Y. Chow [H].