Hydrophis stricticollis

Last updated

Hydrophis stricticollis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Hydrophis
Species:
H. stricticollis
Binomial name
Hydrophis stricticollis
Günther, 1864
Synonyms
  • Aturia stricticollis - Welch, 1994
  • Chitulia stricticollis - Kharin, 2005 [2]

Hydrophis stricticollis, commonly called the collared sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the subfamily Hydrophiinae of the family Elapidae.

Contents

Taxonomy

Hydrophis stricticollis was first described by Albert Günther in 1864. It currently belongs to the genus Hydrophis, though it was previously categorized in the genus Chitulia under the scientific name Chitulia stricticollis. [3] [4] [5]

Description

The species is characterized by a slender neck and forebody, posteriorly 2.5 to 3 times thicker than anteriorly. The size of males can reach around 105 centimeters (3.44 ft), females 105 centimeters (3.44 ft); with tail length ranging from 140 millimeters (5.5 in) in males to 90 millimeters (3.5 in) in females. Historical autopsy reports describe coloration as dark grey or olive, with a pale anterior belly and yellow mottling on the snout and sides. It has a small head, colored black or olive, with yellow markings on the snout and along the sides of the head. It has 45–65 dark bands slightly thinner than the yellowish area between each band, widest dorsally, disappearing with age. [3] Tail with 11 vertical blackish bars, confluent on the under surface. [6]

1 anterior temporal, rarely divided; 7-8 upper labials, the second being in contact with prefrontal scales. 3–4 border eyes; 34-41 scale rows around the neck, having either one or more tubercles in a straight line, tending to form an obscure keel. The central tubercle is the largest, the others being indistinct. 45-55 scale rows around midbody, with the scales on the thickest part of the body being subquadrangular or hexagonal in shape. 374-452 ventral scales, distinct throughout. Only on the anterior two-thirds of the trunk are the ventrals twice as broad as the adjoining scales; the rest are less than twice as large as adjacent body scales. [3] 8-11 maxillary teeth found behind the fangs. There are 6 small anal scales, the middle one of the three on each side being the largest. [6] The heart is located in almost the center of the body. All spines of the hemipenis are short, with proximal spines being wider than the others and no longer than half the length of the tail scales. [4] The scales are smooth in young specimens. [7]

Distribution and Habitat

Hydrophis stricticolis is endemic to the Indian Ocean, with its extent ranging from Sri Lanka, India, and Myanmar to Bangladesh. [8] [9]

Diet

Autopsy data suggests a diet consisting of cutlassfish, though specific species could not be identified due to being partially digested and the heads of the prey being absent. Because cutlassfish inhabit coastal waters ranging from 100 to 350 meters, it is theorized that this is also where the Hydrophis stricticollis reside. [10]

Reproduction

There isn't much information regarding the reproductive biology of the Hydrophis species throughout the Indian Ocean, though it is known that reproductive cycles vary between different local regions. [11] [12]

It's suggested that sexual dimorphism may be present, but based on current data, whether or not sexual dimorphism is present can't be substantially supported. [10]

Venom

Its venom likely contains postsynaptic neurotoxins in the form of myotoxins, but it is not confirmed. Nephrotoxins and cardiotoxins are present but only inflict secondary nephrotoxicity and secondary cardiotoxicity. [13]

Treatment

Standard first aid treatment for any bite from a snake suspected to be venomous is the application of a pressure bandage followed by the victim's transportation to a hospital or clinic, where they should be monitored for at least 24 hours. It is not recommended to use a tourniquet, suck at the wound, cauterize, or make an incision in the wound as an attempt at first aid. [13]

Conservation Status

Hydrophis stricticollis is listed as Data Deficient in the IUCN Red List, with the population trends and number of mature individuals being unknown. [8]

References

  1. ↑ Rasmussen, A.; Lobo, A. (2010). "Hydrophis stricticollis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010 e.T176733A7292717. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T176733A7292717.en . Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  2. ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. 1 2 3 "Hydrophis stricticollis". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  4. 1 2 Kharin, V. E. (2012-11-01). "Sea snakes of the genus Chitulia Gray, 1849 (Serpentes: Hydrophiidae). The taxonomic status of intrageneric complexes". Russian Journal of Marine Biology. 38 (6): 456–458. doi:10.1134/S1063074012060065. ISSN   1608-3377.
  5. ↑ "ITIS - Report: Hydrophis". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  6. 1 2 Gould, John (March 19, 1872). "On some Persian, Himalayan, and other Reptiles". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 40 (1): 493–525. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1872.tb00491.x. ISSN   0370-2774.
  7. ↑ Günther, Albert C. L. G. (1864). The reptiles of British India. Pub. for the Ray society by R. Hardwicke.
  8. 1 2 IUCN (2009-02-15). Hydrophis stricticollis: Rasmussen, A. & Lobo, A.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T176733A7292717 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2010-4.rlts.t176733a7292717.en.
  9. ↑ "Hydrophis stricticollis | Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS)". obis.org. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  10. 1 2 Sarker, M Abdur & Sanders, Kate & Jaman, Mohammad. (2023). First report of the Collared Sea Snake, Hydrophis stricticollis Günther, 1864, and the Estuarine Sea Snake, H. obscurus Daudin, 1803, in the coastal waters of Bangladesh, with some remarks on their natural history. Herpetology Notes. 16. 253-259.
  11. ↑ Lemen, Cliff A.; Voris, Harold K. (1981). "A Comparison of Reproductive Strategies Among Marine Snakes". The Journal of Animal Ecology. 50 (1): 89. doi:10.2307/4033.
  12. ↑ "(PDF) Preliminary observations on the reproductive biology of six species of Sri Lankan sea snakes (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae)". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  13. 1 2 "WCH Clinical Toxinology Resources". www.toxinology.com. Retrieved 2025-10-20.

Further reading

  1. Mondal, Sonia & Ganesh, S.R. & C., Ragnathan. (2023). Some rare species of sea snakes (Hydrophis, Microcephalophis) from the Indian Coasts and nearby waters, lodged in major systematic Indian zoological collections.
  2. McDowell, S.B. (1972), The genera of sea-snakes of the Hydrophis group(Serpentes: Elapidae). The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, 32: 189-247. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1972.tb00028.x
  3. Anderson,  John. “On Some Persian, Himalayan, and Other Reptiles.” Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, vol. 1872, 1872, pp. 371--404.
  4. Constable,  J D. “Reptiles from the Indian Peninsula in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.” Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, vol. 103, 1949, pp. 59--160.
  5. National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). and Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service. Division of Reptiles and Amphibians, U.S. National Museum. pp. 19.
  6. Ganesh, S., Nandhini, T., Samuel, V., Sreeraj, C., Abhilash, K., Purvaja, R., & Ramesh, R. 2019. Marine snakes of Indian coasts: historical resume, systematic checklist, toxinology, status, and identification key. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 11 (1), 13132-13150 DOI:https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3981.11.1.13132-13150
  7. Kharin, V.E., Dotsenko, I.B. The first record of the sea snake Chitulia inornata Gray, 1849 from the Arabian Sea with notes on the composition of the genus Chitulia Gray, 1849 (Serpentes: Hydrophiidae). Russ J Mar Biol38, 35–42 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063074012010087
  8. Kharin, V.E., Cheblukov, V.P. On first reliable record of the sea snake Chitulia belcheri (Gray, 1849) from Australian waters, with notes on species composition and taxonomic status of the genus Chitulia (Serpentes, Hydrophiidae). Russ J Mar Biol 33, 161–165 (2007). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063074007030030
  9. Leviton, Alan E.; Guinevere O.U. Wogan; Michelle S. Koo; George R. Zug; Rhonda S. Lucas and Jens V. Vindum 2003. The Dangerously Venomous Snakes of Myanmar Illustrated Checklist with Keys. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 54 (24): 407–462
  10. Sanders, K.L.; Michael S.Y. Lee, Mumpuni, Terry Bertozzi, Arne R. Rasmussen 2012. Multilocus phylogeny and recent rapid radiation of the viviparous sea snakes (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66 (3): 575-591 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.021.
  11. Sarker, Mohammad A.; Razzaque, Kate L. Sanders & Mohammad F. Jaman. 2023. First report of the Collared Sea Snake, Hydrophis stricticollis Günther, 1864, and the Estuarine Sea Snake, H. obscurus Daudin, 1803, in the coastal waters of Bangladesh, with some remarks on their natural history Herpetology Notes 16: pp. 253–259
  12. Somaweera, R. & N. Somaweera 2009. An overview of Sri Lankan Sea snakes with an annotated checklist and a field key. Taprobanica 1 (1): pp. 43-54


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.