A Listing of Australian True Sea Snakes and Sea Kraits

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Selection of Australian Frogs

TURTLES Tortoises Chelonii Testudines

DRAGON LIZARDS Agamas Agamidae

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Skinks of Australia

CROCODILES Crocodylia Crocodilia Saltwater freshwater estuarine

REPTILES OF THE WORLD SPECIES LISTS

SERPENTES (SNAKES)
TRUE SEA SNAKES

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

Short-nosed Sea Snake 

Aipysurus apraefrontalis

WA (including the Ashmore Reef region)

Reef Shallows or Dubois's Sea Snake

Aipysurus duboisii

NT, Qld, WA

Stagger-banded or Spine-tailed Sea Snake

Aipysurus eydouxii

Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia (Borneo), W Malaysia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Singapore,
Australia (Thursday Island, Torres Strait)

Leaf-scaled Sea Snake

Aipysurus foliosquama

WA (Ashmore and Scott Reef)

Dusky Sea Snake

Aipysurus fuscus

WA (Ashmore and Scott Reef)

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

Shark Bay Sea Snake

Aipysurus pooleorum 

WA

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

Aipysurus tenuis

WA

Stoke's Seasnake

Hydrophis stokesii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA
Also found in other seas including the Indian Ocean and around the Arabian Peninsula

Eastern 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.

Western Turtle-headed Sea Snake (Harmless)

Emydocephalus orarius

WA (Coral Coast, Pilbara and Kimberley regions)

Black-headed Sea Snake

Hydrophis atriceps

NT, WA(?)

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)

Dwarf Sea Snake

Hydrophis caerulescens

Qld, NT?

Slender-necked Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Leioselasma) coggeri

WA

Spine-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Lapemis) curtus

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

Geometrical Sea Snake (includes snakes previously known as Fine-spined Sea Snakes)

Hydrophis czeblukovi (synonym of Hydrophis geometricus )

WA

Rough-scaled Sea Snake

Hydrophis donaldi

Qld (Gulf of Carpentaria)

Elegant Sea Snake

Hydrophis elegans

NSW, NT, Qld, WA, SA

Spectacled Sea Snake

Hydrophis kingii

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Laboute's Sea Snake

Hydrophis laboutei

New Caledonia, possibly Australia

Small-headed Sea Snake

Hydrophis macdowelli

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

Olive-headed Sea Snake
or Greater Sea Snake

Hydrophis major

NSW(?), NT, Qld, WA

Ornate Reef Seasnake or
Ocellated Sea Snake

Hydrophis ocellatus

NSW, NT, Tas, Qld, WA

Large-headed Sea Snake or Pacific Sea Snake

Hydrophis pacificus

NT, Qld

Horned Sea Snake

Hydrophis peronii

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis platurus platurus

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

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

North-western Mangrove Sea Snake

Ephalophis greyae
(or greyi)

NT(?), WA

Black-ringed Mangrove Sea Snake

Hydrelaps darwiniensis

NT, Qld, WA

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).

Small-headed Sea Snake

Hydrophis macdowelli

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

Slender-necked Seasnake

Hydrophis melanocephalus (or Leioselasma melanocephala)

NT(?), WA? Status in Australian waters is uncertain.

Black-banded
or Robust Sea Snake

Hydrophis (or Mediohydrophis) melanosoma

NT(?), Qld, WA(?)

Common Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis (was Pelamis) platurus platurus

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

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

CKI = Cocos (Keeling) Island

NSW = New South Wales

Qld = Queensland

Tas = Tasmania

Vic = Victoria

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



LINKS OF INTEREST


Sea Snakes of Australia

MESA

Sea Snakes
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Australian Sea Snakes
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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, Pythons of the World, and the Adelaide Reptile Forum

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

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Updated March 4, 2024

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