Emoia atrocostata (Lesson, 1830)

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 : 120-121

Emoia atrocostata (Lesson, 1830) — Native.

Scincus atro-costatus Lesson, 1830 : pl. 4, fig. 3, caption. Type material: None designated; type specimens originally at MNHN apparently lost since before Duméril & Duméril (1851: 157), according to Brygoo (1985: 7). Type locality: “habite Oualan, une des iles l’archipel des Carolines” (= Qualan Island, Caroline Islands) (see Lesson [1831: 50]).

Mangrove Skink

( Figure 14F )

Singapore records.

Eumeces (Mabouya) singaporensis Steindacher, 1870: 341 .

Mabouya Jerdoniana Stoliczka, 1870d: 173 (“on one of the small islands near Singapore ”).

Lygosoma singaporense — Boulenger, 1887: 297.— Flower, 1896: 875.— Flower, 1899: 650.—Ridley, 1899: 207.— Boulenger, 1912: 95.

Lygosoma atrocostatum — de Rooij, 1915: 259.—Sworder, 1924a: 16 (Pulau Ayer Merbau; Pulau Senang; Pulau Sudong; Tuas).—Sworder, 1925a: 68.— Smith, 1930: 37.—L.M. Chou et al., 1980: 71.— J.K.Y. Low et al., 1994: 158.

Emoia atrocostata —K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 56.— Brown, 1991: 9, 12, 14.— Denzer & Manthey, 1991: 316.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 102, 149.—Zhao & Adler, 1993: 209.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 106.—K. Lim, 1995: 17 (Pulau Buloh).— Cox et al., 1998: 113.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 26.—P.K.L. Ng & Sivasothi, 1999: 146.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 149.— Anonymous, 2003: 92 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 86, 160.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 265.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2008: 22.— Das, 2010: 230.—L.L. Grismer, 2011b: 559, 561.— P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 458.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 86, 160.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 178 (Pulau Tekong).—Riyanto & Rahmadi, 2021: 2936.— Janssen & Sy, 2022: 106, 165.

Emoia atracostata [sic]— Anonymous, 2003: 32 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).

Remarks. The year E. atrocostata was first reported from Singapore, it was described as two new species. Stoliczka (1870d) first described Mabouya jerdoniana from a specimen he collected in Penang, Malaysia, and figured a very similar-looking skink that he was unable to capture on a small island off Singapore may be the same species. The second description was by Steindacher (1870) who named it Eumeces (Mabouya) singaporensis using specimen NMW-16661 as the holotype which was collected by Swinhoe. As such, they were recognised as two separate species until Mabouya Jerdoniana and Eumeces (Mabouya) singaporensis were synonymised with E. atrocostata by ( Flower 1899) and Annandale (1905), respectively. Boulenger (1887, 1912) recognised a specimen from Singapore at NHMUK that he examined as Steindacher’s (1870) species. Sworder (1924a) pointed out that only three specimens existed for the Malay Peninsula, the two described above, and one that Flower (1899) obtained in Penang. Sworder (1924a) is responsible for documenting most of the observations and localities from Singapore while surveying the offshore islands, and found it quite common on Pulau Senang. Chasen informed Sworder (1924a) that E. atrocostata was common in the mangroves around Tuas. After Sworder (1924a), E. atrocostata has rarely been recorded. Nearly 71 years passed by before it was reported again by Lim (1995) who found it common on Pulau Buloh ( Table 2 ). The only other reported record was of one seen at PT on October 2001 ( Lim et al. 2016). A museum record from Mandai Mangroves evinces that on the mainland E. atrocostata ranges along the coast from Tuas to Mandai Mangroves. Certainly, intensive surveys are required to verify whether these populations are still extant, and whether, E. atrocostata occurs anywhere else on Singapore Island.

Occurrence. Restricted to mangroves in Mandai Mangroves, SBWR, and Tuas on Singapore Island, and several of the Southern Islands. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Critically Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2021].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Mandai Mangroves: ZRC. 2.3286 (Dec-1986) [ MK 2 ] , ZRC.2.4989 (06-Apr-2001); Pulau Ayer Merbau : ZRC.2.1502 (05-May-1923) , ZRC.2.1503 (11-May-1923); Pulau Senang : ZRC.2.1508– ZRC.2.1510 (no date), ZRC.2.1504– ZRC.2.1507 (22-May-1923); Pulau Sudong : BMNH 1928.5 .11.6 (no date), BMNH 1928.5 .11.7., 9, 11, 11A (no date), ZRC.2.1511– ZRC.2.1512 (24- May-1923); Tuas : ZRC.2.1513– ZRC.2.1514 (30-Aug-1923) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): NMW-16661 [holotype of Eumeces (Mabouya) singaporensis ] .

Singapore localities. Mandai Mangroves—Pulau Ayer Merbau*—Pulau Buloh—Pulau Senang—Pulau Sudong— Pulau Tekong—Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve—Tuas.

Genus Eutropi s Fitzinger, 1843 (2 species)

Eutropis Fitzinger, 1843: 22 (type species: Gongylus sebae A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1839 , by original designation; gender masculine).

Figures

FIGURE 14. A) Hemiphyllodactylus typus, B) Lepidodactylus lugubris, C) Iguana iguana, D) Dasia grisea, E) Dasia olivacea, F) Emoia atrocostata, G) Eutropis multifasciatus, and H) Eutropis rugifera. Photographs by: Alex Figueroa [A, G], Holly Siow [B], Kelvin K.P. Lim [C], Law Ing Sind [D, H], Chloe Tan [E], and Nick Baker [F].