Hydrophis spiralis
Hydrophis spiralis, commonly known as the yellow sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.[3] H. spiralis feeds primarily on eels and is found in muddy, sandy ocean bottoms.[4]
| Hydrophis spiralis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Hydrophis |
| Species: | H. spiralis |
| Binomial name | |
| Hydrophis spiralis (Shaw, 1802) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Description
This is perhaps the longest species of seasnake, measuring up to 3.0 metres (9.8 ft); however, most specimens do not exceed 2.0 metres. [4]
Diagnostic characteristics
The scales on the thickest part of the body have rounded or pointed tips, and are imbricate. Six or seven maxillary teeth are found behind the fangs. The species has 25-31 scale rows around its neck, 33-38 around its midbody, and ventrals number 295–362, and are distinct throughout and about twice as broad as adjacent body scales. Its color is yellowish or yellowish-green above; the dorsal scales are edged with black, and 41-46 narrow black bands encircle the body; the bands are usually less than one-third the width of the lighter interspaces. The head, in the young, is black, with a yellow horseshoe-shaped marking; in the adult, the head is usually yellow. Total length in males is about 1.62 metres (5.3 ft), and females 1.83 metres (6.0 ft); tail lengths are 140 millimetres (5.5 in) and 120 millimetres (4.7 in) in males and females respectively.[1]
Geographic range
Hydrophis spiralis is found in the Indian Ocean (Persian Gulf, off the coasts of Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran. It is also found in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Philippines, China, New Guinea, New Caledonia/Loyalty Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar.[1] The species has been reported to live in waters as deep as 50m.[4]
Venom
The venom of H. spiralis has been studied for its medicinal antitumor properties.
References
- The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ),... Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). London. pp. 273-274.
- "Hydrophis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
- "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Yellow Sea Snake". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
Further reading
- Frith, C.B. 1977. The sea snake Hydrophis spiralis (Shaw); a new species of the fauna of Thailand. Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. (Bangkok) 26: 339–341.
- Shaw, G. 1802. General Zoology or Systematic Natural History, Vol. III., Part II. Amphibia. G. Kearsley (Thomas Davison, printer). London. vi + 313–365. (Hydrus spiralis, p. 564.)
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(http://oldredlist.iucnredlist.org/details/176717/0).