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Hydrophis peronii

Hydrophis peronii, commonly known as the horned sea snake, Peron's sea snake, and the spiny-headed seasnake,[1] is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Hydrophiinae of the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to the western tropical Pacific Ocean.[4] It is the only sea snake with spines on the head. [3] It is sometimes placed in its own genus Acalyptophis.

Hydrophis peronii
By Ferdinando Sordelli in Jan & Sordelli, 1860
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Subfamily: Hydrophiinae
Genus: Hydrophis
Species:
H. peronii
Binomial name
Hydrophis peronii
Synonyms
  • Acalyptus Peronii
    A.M.C. Duméril, 1853
  • Acalyptus superciliosus vel Peroni
    A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron, & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854
  • Acalyptus superciliosus
    — Fischer, 1856
  • Acalyptophis peronii
    — Boulenger, 1896
  • Pseudodisteira horrida
    Kinghorn, 1926
  • Hydrophis peronii
    — Sanders et al., 2012[3]

Etymology

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The specific name, peronii, is in honor of François Péron, a French naturalist and explorer.[5]

Description

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The spiny-headed seasnake is a medium-size snake, with the diameter of the neck only one third to two fifths the diameter of the thickest part of the body.[4] The head is small and the tail flattened laterally. The supraoculars are raised, and their free borders are pointed.[4] This species reaches a snout-vent length (SVL) of up to 1.23 m (4.0 ft).[6] Dorsally, it is grayish, pale olive, or tan, with dark crossbands, which are narrower than the spaces between them and taper to a point on the sides of the belly. Ventrally, it is uniform whitish or with a series of dark crossbars alternating with spots.[4]

Geographic range

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H. peronii is found in the Gulf of Siam, Thailand,[7] Vietnam, the South China Sea, the coast of Guangdong and Strait of Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, the Coral Sea Islands, Papua New Guinea,[8] and Australia, (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia, & possibly New South Wales).[6]

Habitat

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The preferred habitats of H. peronii are seas with sandy beds and coral reefs.

Diet

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The diet of H. peronii includes small fish.[6]

Reproduction

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H. peronii is a viviparous species that produces up to 10 live young per female.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Lukoschek, V.; Rasmussen, A.R.; Sanders, K.; Lobo, A.S.; Courtney, T. (2010). "Hydrophis peronii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T176756A7298218. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T176756A7298218.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Acalyptophis peronii". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  3. ^ a b Hydrophis peronii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
  4. ^ a b c d Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Acalyptophis peronii, pp. 269-270).
  5. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Acalyptophis peronii, p. 203).
  6. ^ a b c d "Acalyptophis peronii — Horned Seasnake". Species Profile and Threats Database. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberrra. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  7. ^ Cox MJ (1991). The Snakes of Thailand and their Husbandry. Malabar, Florida: Krieger. 564 pp. ISBN 978-0894644375.
  8. ^ Brongersma LD (1956). "Notes on New Guinean reptiles and amphibians V ". Proceedings Nederlandse Akademe Wetenschappen 59C: 599-610.

Further reading

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  • Bauer AM, Sadlier RA (Editors) (2000). The herpetofauna of New Caledonia. Contributions to Herpetology, 17. Ithaca, New York: Society for Study Amphibians and Reptiles.
  • Bauer AM, Vindum JV (1990). "A checklist and key to the herpetofauna of New Caledonia, with remarks on biogeography". Proc. California Acad. Sci. 47 (2): 17-45.
  • Cogger HG (2000). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Sixth Edition. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Publishing. 808 pp. ISBN 978-1876334338.
  • Cox, Merel J.; Van Dijk, Peter Paul; Nabhitabhata, Jaruji; Thirakhupt, Kumthorn (1998). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Publishing. 144 pp. ISBN 978-1853684388.
  • Duméril A-M-C, Bibron G, Duméril A[-H-A] (1854). Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième [Volume 7]. Deuxième partie, comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux. Paris: Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret. xii + pp. 781–1536. ("Acalyptus superciliosus vel Peroni ", p. 1340). (in French).
  • Duméril [AMC] (1853). "Prodrome de la classification des reptiles ophidiens". Mém. Acad. Sci., Paris 23: 399-536. ("Acalyptus Peronii ", new species, p. 522). (in French).
  • Fischer JG (1856). "Die Familie der Seeschlangen". Abhandl. Nat. Ver. Hamburg 3: 1-78. (in German).
  • Murphy JC, Cox MJ, Voris HK (1999). "A key to the sea snakes in the gulf of Thailand". Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 47: 95-108.
  • Smith MA (1926). Monograph of the sea-snakes (Hydrophiidae). London: British Museum (Natural History). 130 pp.
  • Storr GM, Smith LA, Johnstone RE (2002). Snakes of Western Australia. Perth, Western Australia: Western Australian Museum. p. 309.
  • Taylor EH (1965). "The serpents of Thailand and adjacent waters". Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 45 (9): 609-1096.
  • Zhao E, Adler K (1993). Herpetology of China. Oxford, Ohio: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR). 522 pp.


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