Laticauda colubrina (Schneider, 1799)

Photo figure 102

Yellow-lipped sea krait

Hydrus colubrinus Schneider, 1799:238 .

Laticauda colubrina, Taylor, 1922a:231, pl. 29.— Smith, 1926:6; 1943:443.— McCarthy, 1993a:146.— David and Ineich, 1999:123.— Brown, Ferner, Sison, Gonzales, and Kennedy, 1996:14.— Ferner, Brown, Sison, and Kennedy, 2001:54 [21].— Whitaker and Captain, 2004:386, photo (p. 387).— Bucol, Alcala, Averia, Alcala, and Alcala, 2011:112.— Oliveros, Ota, Crombie, and Brown, 2011:16.— Rasmussen et al., 2011:9.— Devan-Song and Brown, 2012:15.— Siler, Swab, Oliveros, Diesmos, Averia, Alcala, and Brown, 2012:456, fig. 23.— Leviton, Brown, and Siler, 2014:513, figs. 16A, 17B, 18B, 48.— Supsup, Puna, Asis, Redoblado, Panaguinit, Guinto, Rico, Diesmos, Brown, and Mallari, 2016:169.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE SPECIMEN (S).— Type locality “ Ostindischens Meer ” in the ZMB catalog (Bauer [1998:139] and Wallach et al. [2014:355]). Holotype: ZMB 9078 (fide Smith [1926:8]).

PHILIPPINE DISTRIBUTION (Map 19D [p. 130]).— Babuyan Ids. (Babuyan Claro, Barit, Calayan, Dalupiri, Mabag). Bantayan, Bohol, Cebu, Luzon (Manila Bay, Verde Island Passage; [Prov.: Zambales {Subig Bay}]), Maestre de Campo (Romblon Id. group), Mindanao (Prov.: Zamboanga City), Negros (Prov.: Negros Oriental), Panay, Siquijor, Sulu Archipelago (Jolo, Sitanki).

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION (OTHER THAN PHILIPPINES).— Smith (1943:444) states that this species is not commonly met in “Indian and Indo-Chinese waters” 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 coastal waters of Thailand, Malaysia, western Indonesia as far east as Polynesia and north along the east Asian coast to southern Japan.

CONSERVATION STATUS [IUCN].— Least Concern [2016] ver. 3.1.