Distribufion and Ideniificafion of Poisonous Sea Snakes 



KEY TO GENERA (continued) 



B. I lead short, cluiiiky; 3 or 4 rows of larger scales 

 on flanks; anterior ventrals often enlarged. 

 Two species range from Persian Gulf to 

 Japan and south to Australia. Considered 

 dangerous 



Lapemis 



SPECIES DESCRIPTIONS 



Yellow-lipped Sea Krait, T.nt'icnuda eoluTirhm 

 (Schneider). 



Identification: Species of this fjeiius are less flattened 

 and more like conventional land snakes than are other 

 members of the family. They can he readily identified 

 by the combinatUm of fliittened tail, enlarged ventral 

 scutes, and laterally plated nostrils. In this species the 

 pattern consists of black or dark brown bands encirclinK 

 body and separated by interspaces of pale blue or blue 

 gray ground color: these are about as wide as the 

 bands; snout and upper lip yellow; dark stripes tbroii;;h 

 eye and on lower Ii[i: belly yellow. 



Figure 112. — Yellow-lippod Sea Krait, Laticaiida colii- 

 hrina. I'hoto by liobert E. Kuntz. 



Maximum lengtli about 4V^ feet, averafie ^ to 3Vj feet. 

 Females are larger than males, 



Jicmarku: One of the few sea snakes tbnt rej;ularly 

 leaves water to climb onto rocks and pilings. Ter- 

 restrial activity usually takes place at night. Eggs are 

 deposited in caves and crevices. Ver.v mild disposition — 

 no report of bite in man although the snakes are freely 

 handled by many natives. Venom of fairly high tox- 

 icity but very small in quantity. 



Beaked Sea Snake, Enhydrina schisto-m (Dau- 

 din). 



Identification: The distinctive feature of this sea 

 snake is the form of the lower jaw. The shield at the 

 tip of the chin (the mental) which is comparatively wide 

 and large in most snakes is, in Enhydrina, reduced to a 

 siilintcrlike shield Imried in a cleft between the first pair 

 of lower labials (fig. IIIC). This gives greater flexi- 

 bility to the lower jaw and widens the gape thus permit- 

 ting the snake to seize and swallow large prey. The down 



curved tip of the rostral is unusually prominent in this 

 snake giving it a characteristic beaked profile. Head 

 shields large, synnnetrical ; head rather small, very little 

 wider than neck ; body moderately stout, strongly com- 

 liressed; skin especially on neck rather loose; scales 

 keeled; ventrals jxiorly differentiated, often indistin- 

 guishable on anterior part of bod.v. 



Adults uniforml.v dull olive green above or pale 

 greenish gray with dark crossbands that tend to fuse 

 anteriorly; cream to dirty white <in sides and belly; 

 head greenish above without marking; tail usually mot- 

 tled with black. New born young are milk white with 

 irossbands that almost encircle the body ; toji of head 

 dark olive, tail black. 



Average adult length ."i to 4 feet willi females appreci- 

 ibly larger than males; maximum a little under ."i feet. 



Ilrinaiks: \ shallow water snake found o\"r both 

 mud and .sand bottom and often very plentiful at the 

 tnouths of rivers. In great deltas such ns those of the 

 (Janges and Indus, Knliydiina has been found in chan- 

 nels many miles from the oi)en sea. It has not been 

 reported to leave the water voluntarily and is very 



FiGiRE 11.3. — Beaked Sea Snake, Enhydrina schistosa. 

 I'hoto by Sherman A. Mintoii. 



awkward although not completely helpless on land. In 

 Indian waters, young are born from March through 

 July. The average brood numbers 4 to 9. 



The venom of the beaked sea snake is the most 

 toxic of the better known snake venoms, the lethal dose 

 for experimental mammals being oO to 12.") micrograms/ 



163 



