512 
THE CORAL TRIANGLE: HEARST BIODIVERSITY EXPEDITION 
feebly imbricate, smooth or with small tubercle or keel; ventrals 295-362, distinct throughout, 
about twice as broad as adjacent body scales; precloacal scales enlarged. 
Size.— Total length ((?) 1620 mm, ($) 1830; tail length (cJ) 140 mm, ($) 120 mm. (after 
Smith 1926:49). 
Distribution. — Philippines (a single record, juvenile, from Mergui [Smith 1926:50]) that 
has been repeatedly cited without further evidence of presence in Philippine coastal waters). Else¬ 
where: widely distributed from the Persian/Arabian Gulf east to Malaysia and Indonesia (see David 
andineich 1999:118). 
Hydrophis [Astrotia] stokesii (Gray, 1846) 
Malayan [or Stokes’] Sea Snake 
Figures 27B, 47 
Hydrus stokesii (part) Gray in Stokes, 1846:502. 
Astrotia stokesi. Wall, 1909:250. 
Astrotia stokesii. Smith, 1926:113.— Dunson and Minton, 1978:282.— David and Ineieh, 1999:63. 
Description. — Exceptionally thick-bodied sea snake with 
large head, covered by regular head scales, and thick neck, about 
one-half diameter of greatest diameter of body; 6 or 7 maxillary 
teeth behind fangs; body scales in 37^7 rows on neck, 47-59 
around body, scales strongly imbricate, pointed, keeled or keels 
broken into tubercles; ventrals 226-286, anterior-most occasion- 
all entire, all others divided, the two halves overlapping; color 
pattern, head dark olivaceous to yellowish, body yellowish to 
pale brown with broad black or dark brown bands or bars. (After 
Smith 1926:114.) 
Size.— Total length (cJ) 1200 mm, (5) 1600 mm; tail 
length (cJ) 170 mm, ($) 190 mm. 
Distribution. — Philippines: South Gigante Id. (Dunson 
and Minton 1978:282). Elsewhere: widely distributed from India 
to Australia and north into the South China Sea. (See David and 
Ineieh [1999:63] for details.) 
Figure 47. Hydrophis stokesii 
(Gray, 1846). Illustrations by Emily 
M. Eng. 
Hydrophis [Praescutata] viperinus (Schmidt, 1852) 
Grey Sea Snake 
Thalassophis viperina Sehmidt, 1852:79, pi. 3. 
Thalassophina viperina. Smith, 1926:33.— Rasmussen, 1997:23. 
Praescutata viperina, David and Ineieh, 1999:177.— Stuebing and Inger, 1999:220. 
Description. — Head short, depressed, distinct from neck; nasal scales as broad as long; pre- 
frontals much broader than long, not in contact with upper labials; frontal twice as large as supraoc¬ 
ular; 1 (-2) preocular, 1-2 postoculars; 7-9 upper labials, usually 3-5 bordering orbit of eye, occa¬ 
sionally only two border orbit; temporals variable, usually only 1, occasionally 2 or 3; 27-34 scale 
rows around neck; 37-50 abound midbody; ventrals 226-274, anteriorly half the width of body, 
posteriorly narrowed, about twice width of adjacent scales; precloacal scale enlarged. 
Size.— Total length ( 3 ) 925 mm, ($) 820; tail length ( 3 ) 100 mm, ($) 80 mm. 
Distribution. — Philippines (not yet reported from coastal Philippine waters but present in 
the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand). Elsewhere: widely distributed from Persian/Arabian 
