Prakke's Reed Snake

description

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

Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution

discussion

Remarks. The presence of C. prakkei in Singapore is based on one record from Sclater (1891 a) who examined specimen ZSI 13306 which he received from Singapore from Davison, and that was identified by Boulenger as C. sumatrana (Sclater 1891 b). 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

Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution

materials_examined

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)

Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution

materials_examined

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated. Conservation priority. Immediate priority, if discovered.

Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution