Hydrophis fasciatus

Hydrophis fasciatus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae[1]
Subfamily:	Hydrophiinae
Genus:	Hydrophis
Species:	H. fasciatus
Binomial name
Hydrophis fasciatus (Schneider, 1799)
Synonyms
Hydrus fasciatus Schneider, 1799 Pelamis fasciatus - Merrem, 1820 Disteira fasciata - Fitzinger, 1826[2] Hydrophis fasciatus - A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1854 Micromastophis fasciatus - Prater, 1924 Aturia fasciata - Wall, 1921 Hydrophis fasciatus - M.A. Smith, 1943[3]

Hydrophis fasciatus, commonly known as the striped sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae (Hydrophiinae).^[1]

Description

Hydrophis fasciatus has a small head, long body and is slender anteriorly. The scales on thickest part of body are subquadrangular or hexagonal in shape, juxtaposed or slightly imbricate. It has 5-6 maxillary (upper jaw bone) teeth behind fangs and 2 anterior temporals.

Body scales in 28-33 rows around the neck, 47-58 around midbody (increase in number of rows from neck to midbody 20-27); ventral scales 414-514 (average 460).

Anterior part of body including head and neck dark olive to black with pale oval yellowish spots on sides, sometimes connected as crossbars; posterior, grayish; below whitish; dark rhomboidal spots may extend down the sides of the body and form complete annuli in young.

Total length males 1100 mm, females 990 mm; tail length males 100 mm, females 75 mm.

Distribution

• Indian Ocean (coasts of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia).
• Coasts of Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo).
• Coasts of Australia, Philippines, New Guinea.
• Coasts of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian (China).

References

1. "Hydrophis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
2. 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. 281-282.
3. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

• Bergman, R. A. M. 1962 The anatomy of Hydrophis fasciatus atriceps. Biol. Jaarb. 30: 389-416
• Schneider, J.G. 1799. Historiae Amphibiorum naturalis et literariae Fasciculus Primus continens Ranas, Calamitas, Bufones, Salamandras et Hydros in genera et species descriptos notisque suis distinctos. Jena. 266 pp. (Hydrus fasciatus, pp. 233–238, 240-241.).
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(tm)(http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/176744/0).