Hydrophis melanocephalus

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Hydrophis melanocephalus, commonly known as the slender-necked sea snake, is a venomous sea snake in the Elapidae family.

Conservation status: Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)

Classification: Kingdom Animalia; Phylum Chordata; Class Reptilia; Order Squamata; Suborder Serpentes; Family Elapidae; Genus Hydrophis; Species H. melanocephalus

Description: The head is black on both top and bottom, with a yellow bar in front of the eyes and a yellow streak behind the eye. The front part of the body is black with yellow crossbars; the rear part is olive on top and yellow underneath, with black rings that are broader on the back. The tail is laterally flattened and paddle-like for swimming. The type specimen was a female about 107 cm long, with a tail about 8.5 cm.

Scales and body: Dorsal scales are rhomboidal and overlap. Neck scales are smooth and arranged in 25 rows. Body scales have a short keel and are in 35 rows. There are about 329 ventral scales. The head is small and the body very slender. The rostral scale is slightly broader than deep. The frontal scale is nearly twice as long as wide and about as long as the distance to the rostral scale. There are one preocular and one postocular scale, and one anterior temporal scale. There are seven or eight upper lip scales, with some entering the eye. There are two pairs of small chin shields touching each other.