Blue-necked Keelback
Rhabdophis rhodomelas (Boie, 1827)
Also calledBlaunacken-Kielrückennatter (deu) · Szorstkogrzbiet niebieskoszyi (pol) · Синегорлый килебрюхий уж (rus) · งูรังแหหลังศร (tha) · 藍脖頸槽蛇 (zho)
First described in: Boie, F. Bemerkungen über Merrem’s Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien, 1. Lieferung: Ophidier.
Rhabdophis rhodomelas, the blueneck keelback or blue-necked keelback, is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. It is found in the Malay Peninsula (southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore), Borneo (Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia; Kalimantan, Indonesia), and in the western parts of the Indonesian Archipelago (Sumatra, Java, Bangka Island).
Rhabdophis rhodomelas is an uncommon species found in lowland forest near streams and rivers at elevations less than 200 m (660 ft) above sea level. It is oviparous, laying up to 27 eggs per clutch.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
discussion
Remarks. Previously a species of Macropisthodon, Figueroa et al. (2016) showed Macropisthodon nested deep within Rhabdophis, and Takeuchi et al. (2018) formally synonymised Macropisthodon with Rhabdophis. Historically, R. rhodomelas appeared fairly common in Singapore as it was frequently collected. Girard (1858 b) first reported R. rhodomelas from Singapore based on a specimen collected around 1842 by the U. S. Exploring Expedition. Next, Jan (1863) reported one from ZMH, M ̧ ller (1878) noted it in NMB, Sclater (1891 a) examined five specimens collected by Gardiner and one from Davison deposited at ZSI, and Boulenger (1893, 1896) mentioned two collected by Dennys, one by Davison, and one by Ridley at NHMUK. There were also specimens at the Raffles Museum (Hanitsch 1898; Ridley 1899). Flower (1896) described R. rhodomelas as very common as he observed 15 specimens at Tanglin in the span of four months, and Sworder (1923) said it was one of the most common snakes in Singapore. Flower (1896) also mentioned that Ridley observed one being eaten by a Naja sumatrana at SBG. Nowadays, R. rhodomelas is considered rare (Baker & Lim 2012). After Buddle (1929) collected two at SNB, R. rhodom
Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution
materials_examined
LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): BMNH 1880.9. 10.31 (no date), BMNH 1887.3. 28.2 (no date), BMNH 1890.1. 8.1 (no date), BMNH 1895.1. 8.6 (no date), BMNH 1896.6.25.37 – 40 (no date), ZRC. 2.4106 (6 - Sep- 1898), ZRC. 2.4114 (1921), ZRC. 2.4068 (Apr- 1953), ZRC. 2.2302 (1987); Botanic Gardens: ZRC. 2.4110 (Apr- 1897), ZRC. 2.4112 (06 - Jan- 1927); Bukit Timah: ZRC. 2.4109 (26 - Jun- 1922), ZRC. 2.4113 (16 - Sep- 1922), ZRC. 2.4077 (Nov- 1933); Mandai Road: ZRC. 2.4108 (09 - Feb- 1932); Naval Base [= Sembawang Naval Base]: ZRC. 2.5382 (29 - Mar- 1969); Old Upper Thomson Road: ZRC. 2.7036 (19 - Jan- 2014); Pasir Panjang: ZRC. 2.4107 (21 - May- 1922); RAF Tengah [= Tengah Air Base]: BMNH 1983.967 (no date); Tanglin Barracks [= Dempsey Hill]: ZRC. 2.4098 (1936); Upper Peirce Reservoir Road: ZRC. 2.6845 (07 - Sep- 2009); Upper Seletar Reservoir Road: ZRC. 2.6920 (04 - Nov- 2010). Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): CAS, NMI, NMW, SMNS, USNM, ZMH, ZMUC; Botanic Gardens: CAS, USNM. Singapore localities. Bukit Timah (not specified) — Bukit Timah Nature Reserve — Dempsey Hill * — Lower Peirce Forest — Mandai Range Forest — Mandai Road — Old
Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution
materials_examined
Singapore conservation status. Vulnerable. Conservation priority. Highest.
Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution
Where it has been recorded
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Rhabdophis rhodomelas in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 11050072.