514 
THE CORAL TRIANGLE: HEARST BIODIVERSITY EXPEDITION 
though it is not uncommon at Singapore. Minton (1975: 26, Table 1) suggests that although rare in 
the Bay of Bengal, it may not be uncommon along the Myanmar coast and the west coast of the 
Malayasian Peninsula. Also eoastal waters of Thailand, Malaysia, western Indonesia as far east as 
Polynesia and north along the east Asian coast to southern Japan. 
Laticauda laticaudata (Linnaeus, 1758) 
Brown-lipped Sea Krait; Blaek-banded Sea Krait 
Figures 17A, 18A, 49 
Coluber laticaudatus Linnaeus, 1758:222 (part). 
Laticauda laticaudata, Taylor, 1922a:4.— Smith, 1926:4; 1943:442.— Toriba, 1993: 146.— David and Ine- 
ich, 1999:124.— Rasmussen et al., 2011:9. 
Description. — Ventrals large, one-third to more 
than 14 width of body; nostrils lateral; nasals separated 
by internasals; 19 longitudinal rows of imbrieate 
seales around neek and at midbody, 17 rows posterior¬ 
ly; no azygous prefrontal seale; rostral undivided; 
body eolor light or dark bluish-grey above, yellowish 
below, with blaek bands of more or less uniform width 
throughout, each separated from the next band by 2^ 
seale-row wide interspaees, head black with pale yel¬ 
lowish horseshoe-shaped yellow marking on snout 
extending along the upper sides of head to or beyond 
the eyes, upper lips dark brown; ventrals 225-243, 
subeaudals (3) 38-47, (?) 30-35. 
Size. — Total length (c?) 910 mm, (?) 1070 mm; 
tail length (c?) 110 mm, (?) 110 mm. 
Distribution. — Philippines (Bantayan; Jolo; 
Luzon; Mindanao; Mindoro [northern]; Samar; Sulu 
Id.). Elsewhere: Smith (1943:443) states that it is “rare 
in the Oriental region (Calcutta and Little Nicobar 
Harbour).” On the other hand, Minton (1975:26, table 
1) suggests that although rare in the Bay of Bengal, it may not be uncommon along the west eoast 
of the Malayasian Peninsula. Also western Indonesia (Sumatra and Java) to Australia, Melanesia 
and Polynesia, and north along the east eoast of Asia to southern Japan. 
Laticauda semifasciata (Reinwardt in Schlegel, 1837) 
Half-banded Sea Krait 
Platurus semifasciatus Reinwardt in Sehlegel, 1837:516. 
Laticauda semifasciata, Taylor, 1922a:234, pi. 3, fig. 2, pi. 30.— Smith, 1926:10.— David and Ineieh, 
1999:125.— Rasmussen et al., 2011:9. 
Pseudolaticauda semifasciata, Kharin, 1984b: 135. 
Description. — Ventrals large, one-third to more than 14 width of body; nostrils lateral; nasals 
separated by internasals; an azygous prefi'ontal usually present; rostral divided by a horizontal 
groove; body seales imbrieate, in 21-23 rows longitudinal rows at midbody; eolor above greenish, 
or bluish-grey, below yellowish, with 30^2 blaek bands that are broader than the lighter inter¬ 
spaees eneircling body; head dark brown or black with a yellow eurved mark above that eonneets 
Figure 49. Laticauda laticaudata (Linnaeus, 
1758). Photo courtesy of John Tashjian. 
