Hydrophis caerulescens (Shaw, 1802)

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 : 460-461

Hydrophis caerulescens (Shaw, 1802)

Blue-grey Sea Snake; Dwarf Sea Snake

Hydrus caerulescens Shaw, 1802:561 .

Hydrophis caerulescens, Smith, 1926:90 , fig. 26.— David and Ineich, 1999:106.— Sanders, Lee, Mumpuni, Bertozzi, and Rasmussen, 2013:579 et seq.— Pyron, Burbrink, and Wiens, 2013:28, fig. 24.

Polyodontognathus caerulescens, Wallach, Williams, and Boundy, 2014:563 .

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE SPECIMEN (S).— Indian Ocean . Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.3.90 (formerly BMNH III.6.13.a ; fide Smith [1926:92]).

PHILIPPINE DISTRIBUTION.— Philippines (this species has not been recorded from the Philippines but it has been reported from off the Sarawak Coast of northern and western Borneo (Stueling and Inger [1999:208]).

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION (OTHER THAN PHILIPPINES).— Widely distributed from coastal Pakistan to western Indonesia, Australia (see David and Ineich [199:106] for details).

REMARKS.— According to Stueling and Inger (1999:208) off the Sarawak coast (Borneo) this snake on occasion has been caught up in shrimp trawls, more frequently in sheltered embayments rather than the open sea. The authors also note that although a small non-aggressive snake, with “a small mouth and tiny fangs”, it possesses a dangerous venom, and it can produce a “serious, even fatal bite.”

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