Calamaria prakkei Lidth de Jeude, 1893

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 : 238-239

Calamaria prakkei Lidth de Jeude, 1893 — Uncertain.

Prakke’s Reed Snake (Not figured. No photos of C. prakkei exist)

Singapore records.

Calamaria sumatrana (non Edeling, 1870)—Sclater, 1891: 11.—Sclater, 1891: 233.— Boulenger, 1894: 339–340, footnote.—Ridley, 1899: 208.— Barbour, 1912: 119–120.— Boulenger, 1912: 156.— de Rooij, 1917: 158.—Sworder, 1923: 65.— Smith, 1930: 58.—Smedley, 1932: 12.— de Haas, 1950 : 574.

Calamaria prakkei — Inger & Marx, 1965: 123.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 146.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 47.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 146.— Das, 2010: 270.—Stuebing et al., 2014: 124.—Wallach et al., 2014: 141.

Remarks. The presence of C. prakkei in Singapore is based on one record from Sclater (1891a) who examined specimen ZSI 13306 which he received from Singapore from Davison, and that was identified by Boulenger as C. sumatrana (Sclater 1891b) . Smedley (1932) removed it from the checklist of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore stating that if the specimen was identified correctly, then it was likely imported from Sumatra. Tweedie (1953, 1983) also deemed the locality unlikely and did not include it in his checklist. Afterwards, when Inger & Marx (1965) examined the specimen, they synonymised it with C. prakkei and accepted Singapore as the locality of the specimen; although, they did not formally address the issue of the specimen’s origin. Stuebing et al. (2014) also listed Singapore as a locality for C. prakkei . As C. prakkei is only known from six specimens from Sandankan, Sabah, East Malaysia ( Inger & Marx 1965) and ZSI 13306 from Singapore (Stuebing et al. 2014), then there is a chance that the Singapore record is authentic. However, given the high endemism of Calamaria in Borneo, the fact that the Borneo records are from eastern Borneo, and the initial controversy surrounding the specimen, we treat C. prakkei as uncertain for now. Calamaria prakkei is recognised as possibly extinct (IUCN 2022).

Occurrence: No credible records.

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated.

Conservation priority. Immediate priority, if discovered.

IUCN conservation status. Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. No specimens.

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. No published localities.

Family Elapidae H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827 (2 species)

Genus Hydrophis Latreille in Sonnini & Latreille, 1801 (2 species)