Published May 18, 2023 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Tomistoma schlegelii

Description

Tomistoma schlegelii (M̧ller, 1838)— Non-native; Introduced.

False Gharial

Singapore records.

Tomistoma schlegeli —Sharma, 1973: 233.—L.M. Chou & Lam, 1989: 92.

Tomistoma schlegelii —K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 56.—K.P. Lim & Subharaj, 1991b: 5 (Pasir Ris canal).—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 43, 151.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 151.—D.C.J. Yeo & C.S.W. Chia, 2010: 35.—Pocklington, 2019: 8.

“Baby crocodile”— Anonymous, 1991a: 2 (Pasir Ris).

Remarks. Although often rumoured to occur in Singapore, primarily through the escape or release of farmed individuals (Sharma 1973; Pocklington 2021), only one record of T. schlegelii in Singapore is known. The record is of a juvenile found in Pasir Ris canal believed to be released by animal dealers evading a check by Singapore Customs at sea on 14 May 1991 (Anonymous 1991a; Lim & Subharaj 1991). Tomistoma schlegelii occurs naturally in Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo (Bezuijen et al. 2010).

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. No specimens.

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Order Testudines Batsch, 1788 (19 species)

Family Carettochelyidae Boulenger, 1887 (1 species)

Genus Carettochelys Ramsay, 1886 (1 species)

Notes

Published as part of Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore's herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, pp. 1-378 in Zootaxa 5287 (1) on page 244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7960319

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Linked records

Additional details

Biodiversity

Scientific name authorship
Muller
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Order
Crocodylia
Family
Crocodylidae
Genus
Tomistoma
Species
schlegelii
Taxon rank
species
Taxonomic concept label
Tomistoma schlegelii (Muller, 1838) sec. Figueroa, Low & Lim, 2023

References

  • Chou, L. M. & Lam, T. J. (1989) Introduction of exotic aquatic species in Singapore. In: DeSilva, S. S. (Ed.), Exotic Aquatic Organisms in Asia. Proceedings of the Workshop on Introduction of Exotic Aquatic Organisms in Asia. Asian Fisheries Society Special Publication. No. 3. Asian Fisheries Society, Manila, pp. 91 - 97.
  • Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K. (1992) A Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, Singapore, 160 pp.
  • Lim, K. P. & Lim, F. L. K. (2002) A Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Singapore. Revised Edition. Singapore Science Centre, Singapore, 160 pp.
  • Anonymous (1991 a) Baby crocodile caught in canal at Pasir Ris estate. The Straits Times, 15 May 1991, 2.
  • Lim, K. K. P. & Subharaj, R. (1991) Reptiles & Amphibians. The Pangolin, 4 (2), 4 - 5.
  • Bezuijen, M. R., Shwedick, B. M., Sommerlad, R., Stevenson, C. & Stuebing, R. B. (2010) Tomistoma schlegelii. In: Manolis, S. C. & Stevenson, C. (Eds.), Crocodiles: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. 3 rd Edition. Crocodile Specialist Group, Darwin, pp. 133 - 138.
  • Boulenger, G. A. (1887) Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). 2 nd Edition. Vol. III. Lacertidae, Gerrhosauridae, Scincidae, Anelytropidae, Dibamidae, Chamaeleontidae. Taylor and Francis, London, xii + 575 pp., 40 pls.