Blue-lipped sea krait

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Blue-lipped sea krait
Laticauda laticaudata.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Laticauda
Species:
L. laticaudata
Binomial name
Laticauda laticaudata
Synonyms
  • Coluber laticaudatusLinnaeus, 1758
  • Laticauda scutata Laurenti, 1768
  • Platurus laticaudatus Girard, 1858

The blue-lipped sea krait (Laticauda laticaudata), also known as the blue-banded sea krait or common sea krait, is a species of venomous sea snake in the subfamily Laticaudinae of the family Elapidae. It is found in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

The blue-lipped sea krait was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae , where it was given the binomial name Coluber laticaudatus. [3] There are two subspecies, Laticauda laticaudata laticaudata and Laticauda laticaudata affinis. [2]

Description

L. laticaudata hunting in the coral reefs offshore in Ko Samui, Thailand. Laticauda laticaudata (Ko Samui).jpg
L. laticaudata hunting in the coral reefs offshore in Ko Samui, Thailand.

Ventral scales of this snake are large, one-third to more than one-half the width of the body; the nostrils are lateral; nasal scales are separated by internasals; 19 longitudinal rows of imbricate scales are found at midbody; no azygous prefrontal shield is present; rostral scales are undivided; ventrals number 225–243; subcaudals number 38–47 in males, females have 30–35 (ventral and subcaudal counts after Smith 1943:443). The upper lip is dark brown. Total length varies with sex: males are 910 mm (36 in), females are 1,070 mm (42 in); tail lengths are similar: 110 mm (4.3 in). [2] The 19 rows of scales and the dark brown upper lip can be used to differentiate the blue-lipped sea krait from other Laticauda species. [4]

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans: Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh, East India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand), coasts of Malay Peninsula to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, New Guinea, the Philippines, off the coasts of Fujian and Taiwan, Japan, Polynesia, Melanesia, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Australia (Queensland). [2] [1] One specimen was found in Devonport, New Zealand in 2011, however it died shortly after being taken to Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium. [4] The blue-lipped sea snake is spread all over the west pacific, making it known as the common sea krait, however taxonomic studies might indicate they might be an endemic species. [5] Sea kraits forage in reefs and return to land to digest their prey, mate, slough, and lay their eggs. [6] Sea krait experience rapid temperature shifts when going from water to land. They'll often mitigate these effects by seeking shelter from direct sunlight. [7]

Special features

This snake is known to warm up in wedge-tailed shearwater burrows. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elapidae</span> Family of venomous snakes

Elapidae is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus Emydocephalus. Many members of this family exhibit a threat display of rearing upwards while spreading out a neck flap. Elapids are endemic to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, with terrestrial forms in Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Americas and marine forms in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Members of the family have a wide range of sizes, from the 18 cm (7.1 in) white-lipped snake to the 5.85 m king cobra. Most species have neurotoxic venom that is channeled by their hollow fangs, and some may contain other toxic components in various proportions. The family includes 55 genera with around 360 species and over 170 subspecies.

<i>Bothrops atrox</i> Species of snake

Bothrops atrox — also known as the common lancehead, fer-de-lance, barba amarilla and mapepire balsain — is a highly venomous pit viper species found in the tropical lowlands of northern South America east of the Andes, as well as the Caribbean island of Trinidad. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Leptophis ahaetulla</i> Species of snake

Leptophis ahaetulla, commonly known as the lora or parrot snake, is a species of medium-sized slender snake of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and northern South America.

<i>Dendrelaphis pictus</i> Species of snake

Dendrelaphis pictus, the common bronzeback, painted bronzeback, or Indonesian bronzeback, is a species of snake found in Southeast Asia and India.

<i>Bungarus bungaroides</i> Species of snake

Bungarus bungaroides, the northeastern hill krait, is a venomous species of elapid snake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser black krait</span> Species of snake

The lesser black krait is a species of venomous elapid snake found in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The specific epithet is after Latin lividus, meaning “bluish metal-colored” or “lead-colored”, referring to the snake's coloration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater black krait</span> Species of snake

The greater black krait or black krait, is a species of krait, a venomous snake in the genus Bungarus of the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-lipped sea krait</span> Species of reptile

The yellow-lipped sea krait, also known as the banded sea krait or colubrine sea krait, is a species of venomous sea snake found in tropical Indo-Pacific oceanic waters. The snake has distinctive black stripes and a yellow snout, with a paddle-like tail for use in swimming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea snake</span> Subfamily of reptiles

Sea snakes, or coral reef snakes, are elapid snakes that inhabit marine environments for most or all of their lives. They belong to two subfamilies, Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae. Hydrophiinae also includes Australasian terrestrial snakes, whereas Laticaudinae only includes the sea kraits (Laticauda), of which three species are found exclusively in freshwater. If these three freshwater species are excluded, there are 69 species of sea snakes divided between seven genera.

<i>Bungarus candidus</i> Venomous snake, species of krait

Bungarus candidus, commonly known as the Malayan krait or blue krait, is a highly venomous species of snake. The blue krait is a member of the genus Bungarus and the family Elapidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea krait</span> Genus of snakes

Sea kraits are a genus of venomous elapid sea snakes, Laticauda. They are semiaquatic, and retain the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes for moving on land, but also have paddle-shaped tails for swimming. Unlike fully aquatic ovoviviparous sea snakes, sea kraits are oviparous and must come to land to digest prey and lay eggs. They also have independent evolutionary origins into aquatic habitats, with sea kraits diverging earlier from other Australasian elapids. Thus, sea kraits and sea snakes are an example of convergent evolution into aquatic habitats within the Hydrophiinae snakes. Sea kraits are also often confused with land kraits , which are not aquatic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katuali</span> Species of snake

The katuali or flat-tail sea snake is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae. The species is found only in the waters of the Pacific Islands nation of Niue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-banded sea krait</span> Species of snake

The black-banded sea krait, also known commonly as the Chinese sea snake, is a largely amphibious species of venomous marine reptile in the subfamily Laticaudinae, family Elapidae. It is found in much of the western Pacific Ocean and some of the Sea of Japan. In Japan, it is known as erabu umi hebi ; in Okinawa, it is known simply as irabu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crocker's sea snake</span> Species of snake

Crocker's sea snake is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Laticaudinae of the family Elapidae. The species is native to Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kleptothermy</span> Form of thermoregulation in which an animal shares in the heat production of another

In biology, kleptothermy is any form of thermoregulation by which an animal shares in the metabolic thermogenesis of another animal. It may or may not be reciprocal, and occurs in both endotherms and ectotherms. One of its forms is huddling. However, kleptothermy can happen between different species that share the same habitat, and can also happen in pre-hatching life where embryos are able to detect thermal changes in the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reptiles of New Zealand</span>

The extant (living) reptiles of New Zealand consist of numerous species of terrestrial lizards and the lizard-like tuatara, and several species of sea turtles and sea snakes. All but one species are native to New Zealand, and all but one of the terrestrial species are endemic to New Zealand, that is, they are not found in any other country. Many species of foreign reptiles enter New Zealand through accidental importation or smuggling, but only the Australian native Lampropholis delicata has become established in the wild, and it is considered an invasive pest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-bellied sea snake</span> Species of snake

The yellow-bellied sea snake is a venomous species of snake from the subfamily Hydrophiinae found in tropical oceanic waters around the world except for the Atlantic Ocean. For many years, it was placed in the monotypic genus Pelamis, but recent molecular evidence indicates it lies within the genus Hydrophis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Caledonian sea krait</span> Species of snake

The New Caledonian sea krait is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Laticaudinae of the family Elapidae. The species is native to the waters around New Caledonia.

Laticauda guineai is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae. The species, which was first described by Heatwole, Busack and Cogger in 2005, is native to waters off southern New Guinea.

References

  1. 1 2 Lane, A.; Guinea, M.; Lobo, A.; Gatus, J. (2010). "Laticauda laticaudata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T176771A7301306. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T176771A7301306.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Laticauda laticaudata at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 8 January 2018.
  3. Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis (in Latin). Vol. I (10th revised ed.). Holmiae: (Laurentii Salvii). p. 222 via The Internet Archive.
  4. 1 2 Gill, B.J.; Whitaker, A.H. (2014). "Records of sea-kraits (Serpentes: Laticaudidae: Laticauda) in New Zealand". Records of the Auckland Museum . 49: 39–42. ISSN   1174-9202. JSTOR   43264621. Wikidata   Q58629017.
  5. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=69b2eefe1eeca8b5d56286c3d7244bb9ab9ab0ec
  6. Tyabji, Zoya; Mohanty, Nitya Prakash; Young, Erina; Khan, Tasneem (2018-10-26). "The terrestrial life of sea kraits: insights from a long-term study on two Laticauda species (Reptilia: Squamata: Elapidae) in the Andaman Islands, India". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 10 (11): 12443–12450. doi:10.11609/jott.4311.10.11.12443-12450. ISSN   0974-7907. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates textfrom this source, which is available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  7. Dabruzzi, Theresa F.; Sutton, Melanie A.; Bennett, Wayne A. (June 2012). "Metabolic Thermal Sensitivity Optimizes Sea Krait Amphibious Physiology". Herpetologica. 68 (2): 218–225. doi:10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-11-00077.1. ISSN   0018-0831.
  8. Brischoux, F.; Bonnet, X.; Shine, R. (2009). "Kleptothermy: an additional category of thermoregulation, and a possible example in sea kraits (Laticauda laticaudata, Serpentes)". Biology Letters. 5 (6): 729–731. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0550. PMC   2828009 . PMID   19656862.