The northern mangrove seasnake (Parahydrophis mertoni), also known commonly as the Arafura smooth seasnake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Australia and New Guinea.
| Northern mangrove seasnake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Parahydrophis |
| Species: | P. mertoni
|
| Binomial name | |
| Parahydrophis mertoni (Roux, 1910)
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Taxonomy
editThe species was first described in 1910 as Distira mertoni by Jean Roux.[3][4] It was transferred to the genus, Parahydrophis, in 1974 by Burger and Netsuno.
Etymology
editThe specific name, mertoni, is in honor of German zoologist Hugo Merton.[5]
Geographic range
editParahydrophis mertoni is found in Northern Australia[3] in Northern Territory and Queensland. It is also found in New Guinea in the Arafura Sea.[2] It is found in the inter-tidal zone.[1]
Description
editParahydrophis mertoni is blackish-olive with about 46 yellow rings on the body and ten on the tail. The head shields are spotted with yellow, except for the rostral and labials which are black.[6]
Reproduction
editParahydrophis mertoni is viviparous.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Guinea M, Lukoschek V, Milton D, Courtney T (2010). "Parahydrophis mertoni ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T176772A7301678. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T176772A7301678.en. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ a b c Species Parahydrophis mertoni at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ a b Australian Biological Resources Study (26 August 2013). "Species Parahydrophis mertoni (Roux, 1910)". Australian Faunal Directory. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ J Roux (1 January 1910). "Reptilien und Amphibien der Aru- und Kei-Inseln". Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft (in German). 33: 1–36. ISSN 0365-7000. Wikidata Q95717201.
- ^ 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. (Parahtdrophis mertoni, p. 177).
- ^ de Rooij N (1917). The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. II. Ophidia. Leiden: E.J. Brill. xiv + 334 pp., 117 Figures. (Hydrophis mertoni, new combination, p. 233).
Further reading
edit- Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN 978-0643100350.
- Roux J (1910). "Reptilien und Amphibien der Aru- und Kei-Inseln ". Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 33: 211–247. (Distira mertoni, new species, p. 222 + Plate 13, figures 4 & 4a). (in German).
- Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. ISBN 978-1921517280.