Hydrophis viperinus

Viperine Sea Snake
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Subfamily:	Hydrophiinae
Genus:	Hydrophis
Species:	H. viperinus
Binomial name
Hydrophis viperinus (Schmidt, 1852)
Synonyms
Praescutata viperina (Schmidt, 1852) Thalassophina viperina (Schmidt, 1852)

Viperine Sea Snake, Hydrophis viperinus, is a species of Elapidae (Hydrophiinae-sea snake) and Thalassophina viperina is its synonym. It is thought to be naturally rare but widespread. It is venomous.

Diagnostic Characters

Scales hexagonal, juxtaposed, in 27-34 rows on the neck, 37-50 at midbody; ventrals 226-274, anteriorly about half the width of the body, narrowing posterior to about twice the width of the adjacent scales, or slightly less; head shields entire, nostrils superior, nasal shields in contact with one another; prefrontals longer than broad, not in contact with upper labials; 1, rarely 2, pre- and 1-2 postoculars; 7-9 upper labials, 3-5 bordering eye (sometimes only 3-4 or 4-5); usually 1 anterior temporal, occasionally 2 or 3; body color, more or less bicolored, gray above, white below, the 2 usually clearly demarked on the sides, often with 25-35 dark rhomboidal spots, rarely with dark bands. Total length males 925 mm, females 820 mm; tail length males 100 mm, females 80 mm.

Distribution

Northern coasts of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific: from the Persian Gulf to around India to Indonesia and southern China. IUCN lists the following countries: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India (Andaman Is., Nicobar Is.), Indonesia, Iran Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

External links

• http://itgmv1.fzk.de/www/itg/uetz/herp/photos/Thalassophina_viperina.jpg
• http://itgmv1.fzk.de/www/itg/uetz/herp/photos/Thalassophina_viperina_juv.jpg

References

• Boulenger,G.A. 1888 Description of two new snakes from Hong Kong, and note on the dentition of Hydrophis viperina. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6) 2: 43-44
• Murray,J.A. 1887 Three New Species of Hydrophis. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 2: 32-35.
• The Reptile Database (http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Hydrophis&species=viperinus).