Cantor's Water Snake

description

(Fig. 11 B) Material studied: One adult, CIARI uncatalogued from Sippighat, South Andaman (Fig. 4 D). Morphology: Dorsal scales smooth, in 19: 19: 17 rows; ventrals 240; subcaudals 66; subcaudals 66, divided; anal divided; supralabials 6; none in contact with eye; a small subocular separating spralabials and the eye; infralabials 7 (1 – 4 in contact with genials); preocular 1; postocular 1; loreal 1; temporals 1 + 2. Dorsal colouration blackish with yellowish white bands throughout the body and tail. Venter pale white. Distribution: Nocturnal and elusive. One juvenile was recorded in a thick mangrove swamp (~ 40 cm deep) area at dusk in Henry Lawrance Island of the Ritchie’s Archipelago. Considering that it is a mangrove dwelling species, it is likely to occur throughout most parts of the coastal mangrove swamps in the Andaman Islands. Remarks: Wall (1919) reported it for the first time from the Andaman Islands. Ghodke et al. (2018) reported on crab-ripping behavior of C. violacea based on observations on a mud-flat from Nakabwe, Middle Andaman. Status: Though a single individual was recorded during the present study, Ghodke and Andrews (2001) reported it to be very common in the m

Snake fauna of the Andaman Islands, Bay of Bengal-A review of species richness taxonomy, distribution, natural history and conservation status

discussion

Remarks. Cantoria violacea was described as a new species by Girard (1858 a, b) from specimen USNM 5523 collected in Singapore some time around 1842 by the U. S. Exploring Expedition (Table 1). Shortly thereafter, Ģnther (1864) redescribed the specimen as a new species, ‘ C. elongata ’, because Girard (1858 a) stated that C. violacea was identical to ‘ Coronella violacea ’ [= Oligodon cyclurus], which is incorrect. Sclater (1891) reported the second specimen of C. violacea from a specimen deposited at ZSI. Later, Hanitsch sent a specimen (ZRC. 2.3316) collected on 29 August 1898 by Hellier near Cross Street Primary School (Hanitsch 1899) to Flower for identification (Flower 1899). This area was previously surrounded by mangrove forest (Yee et al. 2011). After Buddle (1929) collected three specimens at SNB, C. violacea was not reported again from Singapore until 82 years later (Table 2) during Karns et al. (2002) study of homalopsids at PRPM. The only other records of C. violacea from Singapore comes from Vogrinc (2017) who published a note on the largest C. violacea measured, and from Yau & Kamisan (2020) who found a dead one on a trail at SBWR on 8 July 2020. LKCNHM has specimens

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

materials_examined

Singapore conservation status. Endangered. Conservation priority. Highest. IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2010]. LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Changi: ZRC. 2.6481 (28 - Apr- 1967); Cross Street Primary School: ZRC. 2.3316 (29 - Aug- 1898); Lim Chu Kang Mangroves: ZRC. 2.3672 (18 - Aug- 1977), ZRC. 2.4991 (19 - Apr- 2001); Pasir Ris [PPM]: ZRC. 2.5000 (30 - Mar- 2001); Seletar: ZRC. 2.3317 (Feb- 1929). Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): BPBM, USNM. Singapore localities. Changi — Cross Street — Lim Chu Kang Mangroves — Pasir Ris Park Mangroves — Seletar (not specified) — Sembcorp Marine Ltd. * — Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Genus Cerberus Cuvier, 1829 (1 species) Cerberus Cuvier, 1829: 2 (type species: Coluber cerberus Daudin, 1803, by absolute monotypy; gender masculine).

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