LEVITON, BROWN, & SILER: PHILIPPINE VENOMOUS SNAKES 
507 
Hydrophis [Kerilia] jerdoni Gray, 1849 
Jerdon’s Sea Snake 
Kerilia jerdoni Gray, 1849:57.— Smith, 1926:31.— David and Ineich, 1999:120.— Stuebing and Inger, 
1999:214.— Rasmussen et al., 2011:8. 
Description. — Head short, narrowed anteriorly; body robost, elongate; 7-9 maxillary teeth 
behind fangs; scales on body longer than broad, imbricate throughout, strongly keeled, in 15-17 
rows around neck, 19-23 at mid-body; ventrals 200-273, distinct throughout but only slightly 
broader than adjacent scales; body yellow above, yellowish or whitish below, with black bands that 
are wider above and usually fade laterally. 
Size. — Total length 940 mm; tail length 100 mm. 
Distribution. — Philippines (not yet reported from the Philippines but has been reported 
from coastal waters of northern Borneo and coastal waters elsewhere in the South China north to 
Taiwan). Elsewhere: widely distributed from coastal waters of southeast Indian Peninsula, Sri 
Lanlca, Myanmar, Thailand, Mergui Archipelago, Malacca Straits, Singapore, and west and north¬ 
west coast of Borneo. 
Remarks. — Two subspecies of Kerilia jerdoni have been recognized, but not all authors 
agree on their status. Kerilia j. jerdoni is the form that would be encountered along in the Bay of 
Bengal along the coasts of southeast India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, whereas K. j. siamensis 
ranges from the east coast of Peninsular Thailand to the Borneo coast (Rasmussen and Anderson 
1990). 
Although not yet recorded from the Philippines, its occurrence in shallow coastal waters off 
the coast of northern Borneo suggests it will likely be found in coastal waters off of the Palawan 
Island group and perhaps in the Sulu Sea. 
Hydrophis klossi Boulenger, 1912 
Kloss’s Sea Snake 
Hydrophis klossi Boulenger, 1912:190.— Smith, 1926:68.— Stuebing and Inger, 1999:210.— David and Ine¬ 
ich, 1999:112. 
Description. — Head small, body anteriorly slender, posteriorly two to three times diameter 
of neck, compressed; 5-6 maxillary teeth behind venom fangs; scale rows on neck 23-25 (27), at 
midbody 31-37 (39); ventrals distinct throughout, 360-413, less than twice as broad as adjacent 
body scalers; precloacal scales enlarged; Head dark olive to dark brown, sometimes with elongate 
whitish spots or indistinct horseshoe shaped marking; body above grey with 50-75 dark bands that 
encircle body, broadest above and broader than interspaces; below, underside of head dark and 
anterior portion of body dark, posteriorly sides of body and belly yellowish-white, posteriorly, 
greyish; tip of tail black. (After Smith 1926:68 and Stuebing and Inger 1999:210.) 
Size. — Total length (cJ) 1090 mm, ($) 1300; tail length {S) 115 mm, ($) 110 mm. 
Distribution. — Philippines (not yet reported from Philippine waters; Stuebing and Inger 
[1999:210] report one specimen off the coast of northern Borneo). Elsewhere: east coast of Malay 
Peninsula, Thailand, Singapore, western Indonesia (Sumatra). 
Hydrophis lamberti Smith, 1917 
Lambert’s Sea Snake 
Hydrophis lamberti Smith, 1917:340. 
Hydrophis ornatus, (part) Smith, 1926:81.— Duns on and Minton, 1978:281.— Minton, 1978:151. 
Hydrophis lamberti, Rasmussen, 1989:410.— Rasmussen et al., 2011:6. 
