Thalassophina viperina

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Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Hydrophiidae
Genus:	Thalassophina
Species:	T. viperina

Binomial name

Thalassophina viperina
(Schmidt, 1852)

Thalassophina viperina is a species of sea snake. Diagnostic Characters- Scales hexagonal, juxtaposed, in 27-34 rows on the neck, 37-50 at midbody; ventrals 226-274, anteriorly about half the width of the body, narrowing posterior to about twice the width of the adjacent scales, or slightly less; head shields entire, nostrils superior, nasal shields in contact with one another; prefrontals longer than broad, not in contact with upper labials; 1, rarely 2, pre- and 1-2 postoculars; 7-9 upper labials, 3-5 bordering eye (sometimes only 3-4 or 4-5); usually 1 anterior temporal, occasionally 2 or 3; body color, more or less bicolored, gray above, white below, the 2 usually clearly demarked on the sides, often with 25-35 dark rhomboidal spots, rarely with dark bands. Total length males 925 mm, females 820 mm; tail length males 100 mm, females 80 mm.

Distribution: Indian Ocean, India, Pakistan, South Chinese Sea, northeast to coastal region of Fujian and Strait of Taiwan Persian Gulf (Oman etc.) to Bay of Bengal coasts of Malay Peninsula and Indonesia (Java, Borneo, Sumatra) Gulf of Thailand, Myanmar (= Burma).

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[edit] References

Boulenger,G.A. 1888 Description of two new snakes from Hongkong, and note on the dentition of Hydrophis viperina. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6) 2: 43-44
Murray,J.A. 1887 Three New Species of Hydrophis. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 2: 32-35