Calliophis gracilis Gray, 1835

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 : 192

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.7967992

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/88502B73-FF25-B8C9-FF6B-47A07B990B8C

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Calliophis gracilis Gray, 1835
status

 

Calliophis gracilis Gray, 1835 View in CoL — Native; Indeterminate.

Calliophis gracilis Gray, 1835 [in 1832–1835]: pl. 86, figs. 1–3, caption. Holotype: BMNH 1946.1 .19.17, by original designation. Type locality: “ Penang ”, Peninsular Malaysia .

Spotted Coral Snake ( Figure 21H View FIGURE 21 )

Singapore records.

Elaps nigromaculatus Cantor, 1839a: 33 .— Cantor, 1847c: 1029, 1071, 1074, 1078.— Flower, 1899: 614.

Callophis gracilis — Ģnther, 1864: xxiii, 349.—Theobald, 1876: 230.— Davison, 1892: 92.— Boulenger, 1896: 397.— Flower, 1896: 894.— Flower, 1899: 692.—Ridley, 1899: 209.— Boulenger, 1912: 203.— de Rooij, 1917: 250.—Sworder, 1923: 72.— de Haas, 1950: 600.

Calliophis gracilis —K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 148.—Golay et al., 1993: 123.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.— David & Vogel, 1996: 150.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 38.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 124.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 148.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 169.— Das, 2010: 315.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 169.—Wallach et al., 2014: 145.— Cox et al., 2018: 60.— Charlton, 2020: 229.

Remarks. One of Singapore’s rarest snakes, C. gracilis is known from only two specimens, one collected in 1839 and one in 1897. The first was reported by Cantor (1839a) who described it as a new species, Elaps nigromaculatus ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ), which Ģnther (1864) later synonymised with C. gracilis . The second specimen was collected by Flower in October 1897 ( Flower 1899). Neither of the two authors provided locality data, but we consider BTNR as the most likely location since C. gracilis prefers hilly habitats (Tweedie 1983; Chan & Norhayati 2009).

Occurrence. Only known from two specimens predating 1899. Likely extirpated.

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated.

Conservation priority. Immediate priority, if rediscovered.

IUCN conservation status. Data Deficient [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): BMNH 1898.4 .2.27 (no date).

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. No published localities.

NHMUK

Natural History Museum, London

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Elapidae

Genus

Calliophis

Loc

Calliophis gracilis Gray, 1835

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

Callophis gracilis

Davison, W. 1892: 92
1892
Loc

Elaps nigromaculatus

Flower, S. S. 1899: 614
Cantor, T. E. 1847: 1029
Cantor, T. E. 1839: 33
1839
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