Ichthyophis singaporensis

Last updated

Ichthyophis singaporensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Gymnophiona
Clade: Apoda
Family: Ichthyophiidae
Genus: Ichthyophis
Species:
I. singaporensis
Binomial name
Ichthyophis singaporensis
Taylor, 1960

Ichthyophis singaporensis, the Singapore caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae endemic to Singapore. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, rivers, intermittent rivers and former plantations. Currently, it is now restricted to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It has not been sighted for almost fifty years, and is possibly extinct. It might have existed in south Peninsula Malaysia in historic times. William Montgomerie was the island’s first surgeon as well as Raffles’s physician. The specimen was first identified as a species already known to science and sat amongst the unimaginable multitude of other specimens at what is today the Natural History Museum in London. Over a century after it was first collected, Edward Harrison Taylor studied this and other specimens of caecilians, which are legless amphibians that resemble snakes. Taylor concluded that this was a new species and named it Ichthyophis singaporensis from whence the specimen originated. It is commonly known as the Singapore caecilian. Remarkably, despite being Singapore’s rarest amphibian, being known only from the type-specimen, I. singaporensis was also the first amphibian recorded from Singapore. Ichthyophis singaporensis was first described as ‘ I. glutinosus Var? ’ by Cantor who received the specimen from Montgomerie in 1843 when it was dug up from his garden. Hanitsch incorrectly listed the collection date as 1863. Cantor found the specimen to differ from I. paucisulcus, but did not find conclusive data to designate it as a new species. Ichthyophis singaporensis was later described as a new species by Taylor. He included three specimens collected from Peninsular Malaysia as part of I. singaporensis. The specimens are from “ Selangor ”, Batu Gajah, and Kuala Kangsi. As of today, I. singaporensis is only known from these four specimens. No live photographs exist of I. singaporensis, but Taylor provides a radiographic image of the specimen. It is only known from a type-specimen predating 1847.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ichthyophiidae</span> Family of amphibians

The Ichthyophiidae are the family of Asiatic tailed caecilians or fish caecilians found in South and Southeast Asia as well as southernmost China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombay caecilian</span> Species of amphibian

The Bombay caecilian is an amphibian found in India. This rather large species is found in the northern Western Ghats. The eyes are distinct and surrounded by a light ring. The tentacle is placed closer to the lip than the eye. A dark brown or greyish-brown species, it has no lateral stripes.

Ichthyophis asplenius is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae found in Malaysia and possibly Thailand. It is also known as broad-striped caecilian, Boven Mahakkam caecilian and Malayan caecilian. It is only known with certainty from Mahakam River and Matang Hunting Reserve Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, plantations, rural gardens, heavily degraded former forest, irrigated land, and seasonally flooded agricultural land.

Ichthyophis atricollaris, also known as the Long Bloee caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to Sarawak, Borneo (Malaysia), and only known from its imprecise type locality, "Long Bloee, Boven Mahakkam, Borneo". The type series were collected during the Nieuwenhuis expedition to Borneo and were deposited at the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden.

Ichthyophis biangularis, the angular caecilian or Metang caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae endemic to Borneo (Malaysia): it is only known from its type locality, Mount Matang in Sarawak, where the holotype was collected in 1872 by Alfred Hart Everett. New specimens were collected from the type locality only in 2009. In addition, one larval sample was collected from the same region and identified as likely Ichthyophis biangularis using genetic methods.

<i>Ichthyophis dulitensis</i> Species of amphibian

Ichthyophis dulitensis is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to Borneo and only known from near its type locality, Mount Dulit in northern Sarawak, Malaysia, after which it is named. Described by Edward Harrison Taylor in 1960, the holotype was collected by Charles Hose already in 1891. It is a poorly known species with uncertain taxonomic status. Common name Mount Dulit caecilian has been coined for it.

<i>Ichthyophis elongatus</i> Species of amphibian

Ichthyophis elongatus, the elongated caecilian, is a species of amphibians in the family Ichthyophiidae endemic to Sumatra, including some nearby islands; however, whether these belong to this species is uncertain.

Ichthyophis glandulosus, the Basilan Island caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater springs, plantations, rural gardens, heavily degraded former forest, irrigated land and seasonally flooded agricultural land. The population is unknown as only two specimens have been collected.

<i>Ichthyophis hypocyaneus</i> Species of amphibian

Ichthyophis hypocyaneus, the Javan caecilian or marsh caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae of caecilians, endemic to Java, Indonesia. Until its rediscovery in 2000, it was known only from the 1827 type specimen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koh Tao Island caecilian</span> Species of amphibian

The Koh Tao Island caecilian is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Also known as the Ichthyophis bannanicus, the Banna caecilian, it is also found in southern China.

The Upper Laos caecilian is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to Laos and only known from a single specimen (holotype) collected from the imprecise type locality, "Upper Laos". Presumably a tropical moist forest species, nothing definite is known about its habitat or ecology.

<i>Ichthyophis mindanaoensis</i> Species of amphibian

Ichthyophis mindanaoensis, also known as Todaya caecilian or Mindanao Island caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao, the Philippines.

<i>Ichthyophis monochrous</i> Species of amphibian

Ichthyophis monochrous, the Western Borneo caecilian or black caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to northern Borneo and known from western Kalimantan (Indonesia) and Sarawak (Malaysia), likely occurring also in Brunei. It is a little-known species known from only a few specimens. It presumably inhabits tropical moist forest. Adults are likely subterranean.

<i>Ichthyophis sumatranus</i> Species of amphibian

Ichthyophis sumatranus, also known as the Sumatra caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to Sumatra, Indonesia. It is known from western Sumatra, but many records lack precise location data and its exact range is poorly known.

<i>Ichthyophis supachaii</i> Species of amphibian

Ichthyophis supachaii, or Supachai's caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae found in Thailand's provinces of Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang, and possibly Malaysia.

Ichthyophis youngorum, the Doi Suthep caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is known only from 10 adult and 13 larval specimens collected in 1957 by Edward Harrison Taylor. They were collected in the rainforest of Doi Suthep, near Chiang Mai, in Thailand, in a small valley at 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level.

Ichthyophis nguyenorum is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. They were first found in Kon Plông District, Kon Tum Province, central Vietnam, in 2006, and formally described in 2012. The species is now also known from the Cat Tien National Park in Đồng Nai and Lâm Đồng provinces, southern Vietnam, and is presumed to occur more widely in suitable habitat in central and southern Vietnam as well as in eastern Cambodia.

Ichthyophis khumhzi, the Khumhzi striped ichthyophis, is a species of caecilian found in India. It has narrow and irregular lateral yellow stripes. It can attain lengths larger than 400 mm (16 in). Its head is V-shaped while short; the animal shows scales as far anterior as its collars. The species is named after Khumhzi village, where the specimens were first collected.

<i>Ichthyophis kodaguensis</i> Species of amphibian

Ichthyophis kodaguensis, also known as the Kodagu striped Ichthyophis, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the southern Western Ghats, India. All confirmed records are from southern Karnataka state, although it is also reported from adjacent Kerala.

References

  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2019). "Ichthyophis singaporensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T59633A91816671. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T59633A91816671.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.