Work

Sea snakes in Australian waters (Serpentes: subfamilies Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae)—a review with an updated identification key

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: Sea snakes (Elapidae, subfamilies Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae) reach high species richness in the South China Sea and in the Australian region; however, most countries in the two regions still lack up-to-date checklists and identification tools for these snakes. We present an updated reviewed checklist and a new complete identification key to sea snakes in Australian waters. The identification key includes 29 species documented and 4 possibly occurring taxa and is based mostly on easy-to-use external characters. We find no evidence for breeding populations of Laticauda in Australian waters, but include the genus on the list of possibly occurring taxa.

Source: Zootaxa

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.4.1

Authors: Arne Redsted Rasmussen, Kate Laura Sanders, Michael L. Guinea, ANDREW P. Amey

Institutions: Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation, The University of Adelaide, Charles Darwin University, Queensland Museum

Language: English

Topic: Amphibian and Reptile Biology

Subfield: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Australian Biological Resources Study