Hydrophis [Pelamis] platurus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758)

Leviton, Alan E., Siler, Cameron D., Weinell, Jeffrey L. & Brown, Rafe M., 2018, Synopsis of the Snakes of the Philippines A Synthesis of Data from Biodiversity Repositories, Field Studies, and the Literature, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences (Oxford, England) 64 (14), pp. 399-568 : 465

Hydrophis [Pelamis] platurus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Photo figure 98

Pelagic Sea Snake; Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Anguis platura Linnaeus, 1766:391 .

Pelamis platurus, Smith, 1926:116 , fig. 33; 1943:476.— McCarthy, 1993e:245.— David and Ineich, 1999:174.— Whitaker and Captain, 2004:402, photo (p. 403).

Pelamis platura, Rasumssen et al., 2011:9 .— Wallach, Williams, and Boundy, 2014:529.

Hydrophis [Pelamis] platurus, Leviton, Brown, and Siler, 2014:509 , figs. 27A, 27C, 30, 43–44 .

Hydrophis platyurus [sic], Sanguila, Cobb, Siler, Diesmos Alcala, and Brown, 2016:103.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE SPECIMEN (S).— Not stated. Holotype not traced (see Wallach et al. [2014:529]).

PHILIPPINE DISTRIBUTION ( Map 18C [p. 129]).— Gigantes Ids., Luzon (but said to be widely distributed), Mindanao (Prov.: Zamboanga Sibugay [ Sibuguey Bay ]), Sulu Archipelago (Jolo, Sibutu), Surigao.

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION (OTHER THAN PHILIPPINES).— Most widely distributed of all sea snakes, from east coast of Africa throughout southern and eastern coastal Asia, as far north as southern Siberia, throughout Indonesia to Australia and Tasmania, also from Gulf of Panama north to Baja California in western North America and Hawaiian Islands. (See Wallach et al. [2014:529] for details.)

REMARKS.— We have tentatively assigned this species to Hydrophis consistent with the treatments of Hydrophis and related nominal genera by Sanders et al. (2013) and Pyron et al. (2013).

CONSERVATION STATUS [IUCN].— Least Concern [2016] ver. 3.1.

Figures

FIGURE.43. Lycodon alcalai (head) (Cagayan Prov., Camiguin Norte Id.) (KU 304589). Photo © RMB.