508 
THE CORAL TRIANGLE: HEARST BIODIVERSITY EXPEDITION 
Description. — Head large, robust; 9-12 maxillary teeth behind front fangs; scale rows on 
neck ((?) 38-42, (9) 37^5, on body (cJ) 45-52, (9) 49-56; ventrals distinct throughout, anterior¬ 
ly about twice as broad as adjacent scales, (c?) 258-395, (5) 237-306; subcaudals, {S) 37-50, (5) 
34-44; color, head greyish or brown above, whitish below; body with large oval-shaped bands 
anteriorly, replaced by cross-bands with broad interspaces posteriorly, dark bands both widest and 
darkest dorsally, lighter and narrower laterally; on tail,greyish black bands and broad whitish inter¬ 
spaces, 4-6 in (cJ), 5-6 in ($), (After Rasmussen 1989:411.) 
Size.— Total length (S) 410-1220 mm, (9) 440-1040 mm. 
Distribution. — Philippines (Iloilo Prov. [Gigante Ids.]; Luzon [Manila Bay]). Elsewhere: 
Singapore, Gulf of Thailand, Vietnam. 
Hydrophis melanocephalus Gray, 1849 
Black-headed Sea Snake 
Hydrophis sublaevis var. melanocephalus Gray, 1849:53. 
Hydrophis melanocephalus. Smith, 1926:64.— McCarthy, 1993:237.— David and Ineich, 1999:114. 
Description. — Head small, body elongate and slender anteriorly, compressed posteriorly, the 
diameter two to three times greater than the neck; 6-8 maxillary teeth behind venom fangs; 23-27 
scale rows around neck, 33^1 around midbody (rows increase from 8-14, neck to midbody); ven¬ 
trals 289-358, distinct thi'oughout, bicarinate, almost twice as broad as adjacent body scales; pre- 
cloacal scales enlarged; color, head black with yellow spot behind nostrils and a yellow streak 
behind eye, body olivaceous or gi'eyish, yellowish or white below, with 40-55 black bands about 
as broad as the interspaces, usually expanding both dorsally and ventrally. 
Size. — Total length (^j 1130 mm, (9) 1230 mm; tail length (S) 95 mm, ( 9 ) 90 mm. 
Distribution. — Philippines (fide Rasmussen 2011; David and Ineich 1999) but without 
locality details. Elsewhere: Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan (Ryukyu Ids.). 
Hydrophis ornatus (Gray, 1842) 
Ornate Sea Snake; Reef Sea Snake 
Figures 24B, 40-41 
Aturia ornata Gray, 1842b:61. 
Hydrophis ornatus. Smith, 1926:6.— David and Ineich, 1999:116.— Whitaker and Captain, 2004:394, photo 
(p. 395). 
Hydrophis ornatus ornatus, Smith, 1943:460.— McCarthy, 1993: 239. 
Description. — Scales on thickest part of body more or less hexagonal in shape, feebly imbri¬ 
cate or juxtaposed; 9-13 maxillary teeth behind fangs; head large; body robust, not elongate, great¬ 
est diameter posteriorly about twice that of the neck; one preocular; two postoculars; two anterior 
temporals; 7-8 upper labials; scale rows on neck: (S) 28-40, (9) 31^5, on thickest part of body, 
(c?) 33-52, (9) 39-55 (increase from neck to midbody 4-12); ventrals distinct throughout, in (cJ) 
209-273, in (9) 236-312, anteriorly ventrals about twice as large as adjacent scales, narrowing 
posteriorly; above grayish or hght olive to almost white with broad dark bars or rhomboidal spots 
separated by narrow interspaces; below yellowish or whitish. 
Size. — Total length (cJ) 950 mm, (9) 860; tail length (S) 115 mm, ( 9 ) 80 mm. 
Distribution. — Philippines (Luzon; South Gigante Id.). Elsewhere: Persian [Arabian] Gulf 
to New Guinea and Australia and north along the coast of China to the Ryukyu Ids. (See also com¬ 
ments by Zug 2013:230 relating to reports of occurrence in the Gilbert Islands.) 
Remarks. — See comments under H, inornatus. 
