LEVITON, BROWN, & SILER: PHILIPPINE VENOMOUS SNAKES 
479 
Identification Keys to the Species of Dangerously Venomous Snakes 
of the PhiUppine Archipelago 
General note and Taxonomic (name) changes: This key has been formulated to accommo¬ 
date only the dangerously venomous snakes known from the Philippine Islands. It should not be 
used, even at the generic or familial group levels, to identify venomous snakes from outside the 
archipelago. Colors mentioned in the keys are based on colors in life; in preservative, colors may 
be lost or changed, greens turn bluish, reds are lost, and other bright colors become dull, hi prepar¬ 
ing this key and the species accounts that follow, we have been guided by the latest revisionary 
studies, but we have also taken a conservative position because of the nature of the animals with 
which we are working (see below). The section of the key dealing with the sea snakes (couplets 17 
et seq.) has been modified from Smith (1926 and 1943 and Rasmussen, Elmberg, Gravlund, and 
Ineich 2011). Furthermore, we have culled from the literature and adopted the most recent phylo¬ 
genetic arrangement for the genera of viviparous sea snakes, notably that of Sanders et al. 2013, so 
that many heretofore familar generic names, such as Enhydrina, Lapemis, and Pelamis, and their 
included species, have been referred to the genus Hydrophis. 
Also, we have, rather arbitrarily, chosen to accord all recognizably distinct allopatric sub¬ 
species full species status rather than get embroiled in arguments of why raise one subspecies to 
hill species status but retain another as a subspecies, though both can be readily, though differen¬ 
tially, diagnosed taxonomically. Arguments as to what constititues a biological “species” versus 
“subspecies” are most often not fruitful and usually based on arbitrary assessments by a given 
worker on just how “important” a character or character state is in inferring the “closeness” of bio¬ 
logical affinities, i.e., the genealogical relationships among the parties. 
As we have already mentioned (pp. 472-473), in recent years the most significant nomenclat- 
ural changes have been in the allocation of species among genera of venomous snakes. Thus, we 
hasten to emphasize, many of these changes are not to be taken lightly inasmuch as they reflect 
important changes in our understanding of the relationships among these venomous snake species 
and are highly relevant because of the significant medical implications, vis-a-vis the production 
and use of antivenins in the treatment of snakebites. 
Also, please note, many of the images have been provided by colleagues as a courtesy for the 
express use of members of the Hearst Philippine Expedition participants; the images are owned and 
copyrighted by the donors and must not be copied or otherwise distributed. 
