Hydrophis viperinus

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

Hydrophis viperinus, the viperine sea snake, is a species of Elapidae (Hydrophiinae-sea snake) and Thalassophina viperina is its synonym. It is thought to be naturally rare but widespread.^[1] It is venomous.^[2]

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.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Template:IUCN
^ Praescutata viperina at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 28 October 2012.

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).

External links

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[IUCN-1] Template:IUCN

[RDB-2] Praescutata viperina at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 28 October 2012.

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