Subphylum Vertebrata Suborder Serpentes Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Higher classification Hydrophis | |
 | ||
Similar Hydrophis, Snake, Hydrophis ornatus, Hydrophis lapemoides, Reptile | ||
Hydrophis spiralis, commonly known as the yellow sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
Contents
Description
This is perhaps the longest species of seasnake, up to 2.75 metres (9.0 ft).
Diagnostic characteristics
The scales on thickest part of 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 about1.62 metres (5.3 ft), and females 1.830 metres (6.00 ft); tail lengths are 140 millimetres (5.5 in) and 120 millimetres (4.7 in) in males and females, respectively.
Geographic range
H. spiralis is found in the Indian Ocean (Persian Gulf off Bangladesh, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, China, New Guinea), and New Caledonia/Loyalty Islands.
