QLD SEA SNAKES - SPECIES LISTING

THE REPTILES OF AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PHOTOS AND INFORMATION
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REPTILES OF QUEENSLAND

COLUBRID SNAKES - Colubridae Homalopsidae Mud Snakes

QUEENSLAND PYTHON SNAKES - Pythonidae

Qld ELAPID SNAKES - Elapidae Cobras Coral Snakes

QLD SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

FILE SNAKES - Acrochordidae

Qld BLIND SNAKES - Worm Snakes - Typhlopidae Ramphotyphlops

TURTLES Tortoises Chelonii Testudines

QUEENSLAND DRAGON LIZARDS Agamas Agamidae

GECKO LIZARDS Gekkonidae

Queensland LEGLESS LIZARDS Pygopodidae Pygopods

Queensland MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae

Skinks of Queensland

Qld CROCODILES Crocodylia Crocodilia Saltwater freshwater estuarine

REPTILES OF THE WORLD SPECIES LISTS


QUEENSLAND - SEA SNAKES


TRUE SEA SNAKES OF QUEENSLAND

Sea Snakes are often placed in their own family, however now many experts consider them to be in the Elapid family

All sea snakes have a paddle shaped tail


Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Hydrophiidae)

Elegant Sea Snake (Hydrophis elegans)

Sea Snakes are often placed in their own family, however now many experts now consider them to be in the Elapid family

All true Sea Snakes and Sea Kraits have a paddle shaped tail

All Sea Snakes and Sea Kraits all have fangs at the front of their mouths and most are believed to have extremely potent venom, however bites to humans are rare and snakes in the Emydocephalus genus are not considered dangerous due to a highly degenerated venom system!


Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Hydrophiidae)

 

TABLE 1 - TRUE SEA SNAKES
THESE SNAKES ARE LIVEBEARERS THAT SPEND THEIR ENTIRE LIFE IN WATER

 

* Indicates a new or recently updated page.

Common Name

Scientific Name

Distribution

Horned Sea Snake

Acalyptophis (or Hydrophis) peronii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Reef Shallows or Dubois's Sea Snake

Aipysurus duboisii

NT, Qld, WA

Stagger-banded or Spine-tailed Sea Snake

Aipysurus eydouxii See Aipysurus mosaicus

 

Golden or Olive Sea Snake

Aipysurus laevis

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Mosaic Sea Snake
or Mjoberg's Sea Snake
or Brown-lined Seasnake

Aipysurus mosaicus

NT, Qld, WA

Stoke's Seasnake

Astrotia (or Hydrophis) stokesii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Spectacled Sea Snake

Disteira (or Hydrophis) kingii

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Olive-headed Sea Snake
or Greater Sea Snake

Disteira (or Hydrophis) major

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Turtle-headed Sea Snake (Harmless)

Emydocephalus annulatus

NT, Qld, WA (also around and some islands in the Pacific Ocean including the Philippines and the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia.

Beaked Sea Snake
Snakes previoisly recorded as this speces incorrectly are Zweifel's Sea Snakes

Enhydrina schistosa

THIS SPECIES DOES NOT OCCUR IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS - SEE
Hydrophis (was Enhydrina) zweifeli

NOT FOUND IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS

Black-ringed Mangrove Sea Snake

Hydrelaps darwiniensis

NT, Qld, WA

Dwarf Sea Snake

Hydrophis caerulescens

Qld, NT?

Spine-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Lapemis) curtus

NT, Qld, WA through S.E. Asia to the Persian Gulf

Belcher's Sea Snake
or Faint Banded Sea Snake

Hydrophis belcheri

Northern Waters away from the coast between Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea
Including the ocean in the region of Ashmore Reef (AU)

Rough-scaled Sea Snake

Hydrophis donaldi

Qld (Gulf of Carpentaria)

Elegant Sea Snake

Hydrophis elegans

NSW, NT, Qld, WA, SA

Striped Sea Snake

Hydrophis faciatus

NT, Qld, WA

Slender Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Microcephalophis) gracilis

Qld

Hardwicke’s Spine-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Lapemis) hardwickii (was curtis hardwickii)
STATUS UNCERTAIN - see Hydrophis curtus

NT, Qld, WA

Plain Sea Snake
or Inornate Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Chitulia) inornatus

 Reports from Australia (Northern Territory, Western Australia) are probably misidentifications (Rasmussen et al. 2014).

Spectacled Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Disteira) kingii

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Small-headed Sea Snake

Hydrophis macdowelli

NT, Qld, WA.
also New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands and
Papua New Guinea

Black-banded
or Robust Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Mediohydrophis) melanosoma

NT(?), Qld, WA(?)

Ocellated Sea Snake (obsolete see Ornate Reef Seasnake)

Hydrophis ocellatus (obsolete - now called Hydrophis ornatus)

NSW, NT, Tas, Qld, WA

Ornate Reef Seasnake or
Ocellated Sea Snake

Hydrophis ocellatus

NSW, NT, Tas, Qld, WA

Large-headed Sea Snake

Hydrophis pacificus

NT, Qld

Horned Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Acalyptophis) peronii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Pelamis) platurus platurus

NSW, NT, Qld, Tas, Vic, WA, CKI, CI, NI, LHI, SA?

Stoke's Seasnake

Hydrophis (or Astrotia) stokesii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Estuarine Sea Snake

Hydrophis vorisi

Qld (Torres Strait)

Zweifel's Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Enhydrina) zweifeli split from Enhydrina schistosa

NT, Qld, New Guinea

Northern Mangrove Sea Snake

Parahydrophis mertoni

NT, Qld, New Guinea

 

SEA KRAITS

Sea Kraits are often been placed in their own families, however now many experts consider them to be in the Elapid family

Family Elapidae
Subfamily Hydrophiinae (Sea Snakes)

(Previously Family Laticaudidae)

TABLE 2 - SEA KRAITS
THESE SNAKES ARE EGGLAYERS THAT LAY THEIR EGGS ON LAND

Scientific Name

Common Name

Distribution

Wide-faced or Yellow Lipped Sea Krait

Laticauda colubrina

NSW?, Qld, CKI
may possibly occasionally wander into NSW waters

Large Scaled Sea Krait

Laticauda laticaudata

NSW, Qld may possibly occasionally wander into NSW waters

 


DISTRIBUTION KEY
Click on the abbreviation below to see a map of the area

CI = Christmas Island

CKI = Cocos (Keeling) Island

NSW = New South Wales

NT = Northern Territory

Qld = Queensland

SA = South Australia

Tas = Tasmania

Vic = Victoria

WA = Western Australia

NI = Norfolk Island

LHI = Lord Howe Island

ACT = Australian Capital Territory
(Canberra region only - excludes Jervis Bay Territory)

 

Australia map

LINKS OF INTEREST

Sea Snakes
School of Biomedical Sciences 

Australian Sea Snakes
Facebook


RECOMMENDED AMAZON BOOKS
(Affiliate commission earned)

A Naturalist's Guide to the Snakes of Australia A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia 5th edition Edition

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases



OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST

Find a Random Species of Australian Reptile

Visit the Australian Herpetology Website







SEA SNAKES BY STATE OR TERRITORY

SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SEA SNAKES OF NSW

QLD SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

NT SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

WA SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

SEA SNAKES OF VICTORIA

SEA SNAKES OF TASMANIA - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

Sea Snakes
of
Australia

Sea Snakes
of South
Australia

Sea Snakes
of
NSW

Sea Snakes
of
Qld

 Sea Snakes
of
NT
 Sea Snakes
of
WA

Sea Snakes
of
Victoria

Sea Snakes
of
Tasmania

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE SPECIES LISTS BY STATE OR TERRITORY

Reptiles of South Australia
REPTILES OF VICTORIA
 REPTILES OF NSW REPTILES OF QUEENSLAND REPTILES OF NORTHERN TERRITORY REPTILES OF Western Australia Reptiles of the ACT(Canberra)

Reptiles of South Australia

Reptiles
of
Victoria

Reptiles
of
NSW

Reptiles
of
Qld

Reptiles
of
NT

Reptiles
of
WA

Reptiles
of the
ACT

Reptiles of Tasmania



Reptiles of Lord Howe Island

Reptiles of Christmas Island

Reptiles
of Cocos Keeling Islands

Reptiles of Norfolk Island


Reptiles of Australia

Selection of Australian Frogs

Reptiles of the World

Amphibians of the World

Reptiles
of
Australia

Frogs
of
Australia

Reptiles
of
The World

Amphibians of the
World


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Contact John Fowler Author of the Australian Herpetology Website

Contact John Hollister Author of John Hollister Reptile Collection - Herping the Trans-Pecos & Sweetwater, Texas Rattlesnake Roundup

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Updated April 8, 2024

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