Subspecies Hydrophis platurus platurus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Anguis platura Linnaeus, C. 1766. Classis III. Amphibia. pp. 347-393 in Linnaeus, C. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Holmiae [=Stockholm] : Laurentii Salvii, Tomus I. Regnum Animale(1) Editio duodecima, reformata [3 vols., 1766-68], 532 pp. [391].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, presumed lost, locality unknown.
• Pelamis schneideri Rafinesque, C.S. 1817. Dissertation on water snakes, sea snakes and sea serpents. American Monthly Magazine 1: 431-436 [432] [unnecessary replacement name for Hydrus bicolor Schneider, 1799].
• Hydrophis pelamis Schlegel, H. 1837. Essai sur la Physionomie des Serpens. Partie Générale et Partie Descriptive. La Haye : Kips & Stockum Vol. 2 xv 606 pp. [508, pl. 18 figs 13-15] [as H. pelamis].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, locality unknown.
• Pelamis bicolor sinuata Duméril, A.M.C., Bibron, G. & Duméril, A. 1854. Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Paris : Roret Vol. 7(2) 781-1536 pp. [1338].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) MNHP 8683 5 specimens, unspecified locality.
• Hydrophis (Pelamis) bicolor alternans Fischer, J.G. 1856. Die Familie der Seeschlangen. Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der Naturwissenschaften. Hamburg 3: 1-78 [63] [unnecessary replacement name for Pelamis variegata Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854].
• Hydrophis bicolor maculata Jan, G. 1863. Elenco Sistematico Degli Ofidi Descritti e Disegnati per l'Iconografia Generale. Milan : A. Lombardi 143 pp. [109] [?nom. nud.].

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Smith, M.A. 1926. Monograph on the Sea Snakes. (Hydrophiidae). London : British Museum xvii 130 pp.
• Cogger, H.G., in Cogger, H.G., Cameron, E.E. & Cogger, H.M. 1983. Amphibia and Reptilia. 313 pp. in Walton, D.W. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1 vi + 313 pp. [255]

 

Generic Combinations

• Hydrophis platurus platurus (Linnaeus, 1766). —
  Bessesen, B.L. and Galbreath, G.J. 2017. A new subspecies of sea snake, Hydrophis platurus xanthos, from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. ZooKeys 686: 109-123. (by implication)
• Pelamis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766). —
  Smith, M.A. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-Region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol III (Serpentes). London : Taylor and Francis pp. 583. [476]
• Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766). —
  Sanders, K.L., Lee, M.S.Y., Mumpuni, Bertozzi, T & Rasmussen, A.R. 2013. Multilocus phylogeny and recent rapid radiation of the viviparous sea snakes (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66: 575-591

 

Distribution

Extra Distribution Information

Indian Ocean, Arafura Sea, Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, recorded as far south as TAS but more commonly to southern WA and NSW; throughout the Indo-Pacific

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Central Eastern Province (12), Tasman Basin Province (13), Lord Howe Province (14), Central Eastern Transition (15), Kenn Transition (16), Kenn Province (17), Northeast Province (18), Northeast Transition (19), Timor Province (2), Cape Province (20), Norfolk Island Province (21), Cocos (Keeling) Island Province (22), Christmas Island Province (23), Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Northwest Transition (3), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northwest Province (4), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41), Central Western Transition (5), Central Western Province (6)

Notes

Non-Australian synonyms:

Hydrus bicolor Schneider, J.G. (1799). Historiae Amphibiorum Naturalis et Literariae. Jena : Frommani Fasc. 1 xvi 266 pp. [242].
Type data: type status unknown.
Type locality: Tahitian seas.

Pelamis ornata Gray, J.E. (1842). Monographic synopsis of the water snakes, or the family Hydridae. pp. 59-68 in Gray, J.E. (ed.) Zoological Miscellany. London : Treuttel, Würz & Co. [60].
Type data: holotype BMNH 1946.1.17.51.
Type locality: Borneo (as India), see Smith, M.A. (1926). Monograph on the Sea Snakes. (Hydrophiidae). London : British Museum xvii 130 pp.

Pelamis variegata Duméril, A.M.C., Bibron, G. & Duméril, A. (1854). Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Paris : Roret Vol. 7(2) pp. 781-1536 [1337].
Type data: holotype MNHP 3976.
Type locality: Macassar, Celebes Ils, Indonesia.

Taxonomic decision for synonymy: Smith, M.A. (1926). Monograph on the Sea Snakes. (Hydrophiidae). London : British Museum xvii 130 pp.; Cogger, H.G. (1983). in Cogger, H.G., Cameron, E.E. & Cogger, H.M. Amphibia and Reptiles. In Walton, D.W. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 1. Netley, South Australia : Griffin Press Ltd vi 313 pp. [255].


Hydrophis bicolor maculata Jan, G. & Sordelli, F. (1872). Iconographie Générale des Ophidiens. Atlas. Milan : Jan & Sordelli pp. 39-42 [livr. 40, pl. 3 fig. 1].
Type data: syntypes (probable) MNHP 7710, MNHP 3975.
Type locality: Indian Ocean.

Taxonomic decision for synonymy: Smith, M.A. (1926). Monograph on the Sea Snakes. (Hydrophiidae). London : British Museum xvii 130 pp.; Cogger, H.G. (1983). in Cogger, H.G., Cameron, E.E. & Cogger, H.M. Amphibia and Reptiles. In Walton, D.W. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 1. Netley, South Australia : Griffin Press Ltd vi 313 pp. [255].

 

Common Name References

Clayton, M., Wombey, J.C., Mason, I.J., Chesser, R.T. & Wells, A. 2006. CSIRO List of Australian Vertebrates: A Reference with Conservation Status. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing iv 162 pp. [47] (Yellow-bellied Seasnake)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
04-Feb-2023	ELAPIDAE Boie, 1827	04-Jan-2024	MODIFIED
	ELAPIDAE Boie, 1827	21-Sep-2018	ADDED