Herpetology Notes, volume 11: 417-420 (2018) (published online on 09 May 2018)
First record of a melanistic specimen of Cylindrophis ruffus (Laurenti, 1768) sensu lato (Serpentes: Cylindrophiidae)
Felix Mader1 and Sven Mecke2,*
Melanism is the excessive dark pigmentation of The monotypic snake family Cylindrophiidae the integument in animals, determined by genetics Fitzinger, 1843 currently comprises 13 species of (mutations) or environmental factors (modifications). pipesnakes, widely distributed from mainland Southeast This chromatic anomaly in individuals may be partial Asia south to the Moluccas (Amarasinghe et al., 2015; or complete, and populations may reflect a mixture of Kieckbusch et al., 2016). Populations of Cylindrophis melanistic and normally patterned animals (Lillywhite, ruffus (Laurenti, 1768) sensu lato (see Kieckbusch et al., 2001). Dark colour morphs have been reported to occur 2016 for a definition of the taxon) exhibit a conspicuous in a variety of different animal groups, including reptiles colour pattern of pale and dark bands on the underside. (Gibson and Falls, 1979, 1988; Schulz and Philippen, The dorsum is dark but iridescent, with lighter blotches 1987; Mouton and Oelofsen, 1988; Kolósses and Nagy, (cream to red) especially prominent in juveniles. 2006; Portik et al., 2010), and are frequently observed at Lighter dorsal blotches or bands may be present at the high elevations (e.g., Bašić and Zimić, 2016) or latitudes nape of the neck. The blunt tail has reddish colouration (e.g., Kuranova, 1989) as a result of thermoregulatory (especially on the underside), and is inverted, flattened, benefits. In snakes, melanism has been well documented and displayed when threatened (Amarasinghe et al., and studied in many families within the advanced 2015; Kieckbusch et al., 2016). snakes of the superfamily Colubroidea (Al-Mohanna We here report a case of melanism in Cylindrophis et al., 1997; Tanaka, 2005; Zadravec and Lauš, 2011 ruffus sensu lato. The specimen was collected in – Colubridae; Price, 2009; Das, 2015; Goiran et al., November 1912 in the Singapore Botanical Gardens 2017 – Elapidae; Murphy, 2011; Murphy et al., 2012 (1°18′54″N 103°48′58″E) and deposited in the – Homalopsidae; Branch et al., 2014 – Lamprophiidae; Zoological Reference Collection of the Lee Kong Gibson and Falls, 1979, 1988; Zadravec and Lauš, Chian Natural History Museum (specimen number: 2011; Gvozdenović and Schweiger, 2014; Bašić and ZRC 2.3021; Fig. 1). The voucher is an unsexed adult, Zimić, 2016 – Natricidae; Naulleau, 1973; Klauber, exhibiting a snout-vent length of approx. 300 mm and 1982; Andrén and Nilson, 1981; Luiselli et al., 1994; a tail length of 8 mm. It possesses 19/21/17 dorsal Forsman, 1995; Broennimann et al., 2014; Speybroek scale rows, 206 ventral and six subcaudal scales. The et al., 2016 – Viperidae). In the more basal snake specimen shows a black colouration on the entire body, families, complete melanism has, to our knowledge, not including the underside (Fig. 1). It is the first record been reported in wild specimens or museum-preserved of a completely melanistic specimen in the genus vouchers collected in the field, although captive- Cylindrophis and likely a first record for a completely produced melanistic morphs are common among boas black snake within the Henophidia Hoffstetter, 1939 and pythons (Stafford, 1986; Andrade and Abe, 1998; collected in the field. Bartlett and Bartlett, 2003; Mattison, 2007; O’Shea, It is with some surprise that we realized that the 2007; Roots, 2007). occurrence of complete melanism in henophidian snakes appears not to have been reported to date (with the exception of captive-bred cultivars intended for the
1 Janusstraße 5, 93051 Regensburg, Germany 2 Department of Zoology, Hessisches Landesmuseum Whereas melanistic specimens of Cylindrophis appear to be Darmstadt, Friedensplatz 1, 64283 Darmstadt, Germany rare, albino and leucistic specimens are frequently found in the * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] pet trade (S.M., pers. obs.). 418 Felix Mader & Sven Mecke
Figure 1. Melanistic Cylindrophis ruffus (ZRC 2.3021) in different views. Photos by Simon Föster.
pet trade). We believe that melanism in these snakes of reporting might represent a bias. De Rooij (1917) might occur more frequently in wild populations (with reported entirely black specimens of Calamaria juveniles hatching in a frequency similar to that in virgulata (Boie, 1827; Colubridae) and Macropisthodon captive populations), but that melanistic colour morphs flaviceps (Duméril et al., 1854; Colubridae), as well as have fitness disadvantages, with selection working of Naja sputatrix (Boie, 1827; Elapidae) from Java against this variation. These disadvantages may manifest (see also McKay, 2006). All-black Bungarus candidus themselves in Cylindrophis, where the ventral and (Linnaeus, 1758; Elapidae) from Java were described especially the subcaudal colouration is considered to be as a separate species, B. javanicus, by Kopstein (1932) an effective aposematic signal (see previous page) and but are now known to represent a melanistic variant its loss may make completely dark pipesnakes prone to (Slowinski, 1994; Kuch and Mebs, 2007) that is also predation. From a pool of genetic colour morphs, the found on Bali (Andrew Kathriner, in litt.) Today, morphs best adapted to their environment (presumably many parts of Southeast Asia are easier to access and the ones with aposematic colouration) are most much better explored than in the days of De Rooij and common, but the gene pool is apparently large enough Kopstein. Natural history observations such as melanistic to allow shifts in colour. Members of the Cylindrophis specimens are, however, more likely to be posted on burmanus (Smith, 1943) complex for example usually the social media or in online photo communities, than have a diffuse ventral pattern with a high level of dark properly documented and submitted for publication pigmentation that rarely includes complete bands. The as a permanent record (see O’Shea and Kelly, 2017). aposematic red colouration on the undersurface of the Examples may include melanistic Boiga cynodon tail, however, is remained, which is most important in (Boie, 1827; Colubridae) that have been documented the defensive strategy of these snakes. as occurring in Malaysia (Teo Eng Wah, in litt.). More The presence of melanism in snakes from Maritime research on melanistic snakes in Maritime South East Southeast Asia is rarely reported and the low level Asia is needed in order to clarify the frequency of occurrence and distribution of melanistic snakes in this region. �������������������������������������� Simalia boeleni (Brong- ersma, 1953) from New Guinea, may be largely blue-black, Acknowledgements. We would like to thank Kelvin Lim (ZRC) though not melanistic. Adult specimens of the Python curtus for the loan of the melanistic specimen of Cylindrophis ruffus. group can be very dark as well, while juveniles are normally co- Thanks to Max Kieckbusch (DB Engineering and Consulting, loured (ontogenetic colour change, see Keogh et al., 2001). Many Germany) for contributing measurements and scale counts. We uropeltids are also monocoloured and very dark, but not entirely are thankful to Simon Föster (Philipps-Universität Marburg, black. Germany), who photographed the specimen in Fig. 1. Mark O’Shea First record of a melanistic specimen of Cylindrophis ruffus sensu lato 419
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Accepted by Maximilian Dehling