Hydrophis spiralis

Hydrophis spiralis
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Hydrophis
Species:	H. spiralis
Binomial name
	Hydrophis spiralis; (Shaw, 1802)
Synonyms
	Hydrus spiralis Shaw, 1802; Enhydris spiralis ; - Merrem, 1820; Hydrophis spiralis ; - Gray, 1849; Lioselasma spiralis ; - Wall, 1921; Leioselasma spiralis ; - Kharin, 1984[1][2];

Hydrophis spiralis, commonly known as the yellow sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.[3] H. spiralis feeds primarily on eels and is found in muddy, sandy ocean bottoms.[4]

Description

This is perhaps the longest species of seasnake, measuring up to 3.0 metres (9.8 ft); however, most specimens do not exceed 2.0 metres. [4]

Diagnostic characteristics

The scales on the thickest part of the body have rounded or pointed tips, and are imbricate. Six or seven maxillary teeth are found behind the fangs. The species has 25-31 scale rows around its neck, 33-38 around its midbody, and ventrals number 295–362, and are distinct throughout and about twice as broad as adjacent body scales. Its color is yellowish or yellowish-green above; the dorsal scales are edged with black, and 41-46 narrow black bands encircle the body; the bands are usually less than one-third the width of the lighter interspaces. The head, in the young, is black, with a yellow horseshoe-shaped marking; in the adult, the head is usually yellow. Total length in males is about 1.62 metres (5.3 ft), and females 1.83 metres (6.0 ft); tail lengths are 140 millimetres (5.5 in) and 120 millimetres (4.7 in) in males and females respectively.[2]

Geographic range

H. spiralis is found in the Indian Ocean (Persian Gulf off Bangladesh, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, China, New Guinea), New Caledonia/Loyalty Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar.[2] The species has been reported to live in waters as deep as 50m.[4]

Venom

The venom of H. spiralis has been studied for its medicinal antitumor properties. It has been proven to decrease volume and cell count of Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC). In a recent cancer study, mice with EAC that have been injected with sub lethal doses of the venom have shown a significantly increased lifespan compared to those untreated. [5]

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References

Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ),... Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). London. pp. 273-274.
The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
"Hydrophis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
"IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Yellow Sea Snake". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
Karthikeyan, R; Karthigayan, S (2007). "Antitumor Effect of Snake Venom (Hydrophis spiralis) on Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma Bearing Mice" (PDF). International Journal of Cancer Research. 3: 167–173.