Ornate reef sea snake

Description

Hydrophis ornatus, commonly known as the ornate reef sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae. This snake-species is found to occur in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China (Coasts of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong and Shandong), India (from Gujarat, through Kerala and Tamil Nadu to West Bengal), Indonesia (Bali, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra and other Island coasts), Iran, Iraq, Japan (incl. Ryukyu Is.), Kuwait, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Vietnam. It is also reported from Australia (Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales),Brunei, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu Kiribati and Iraq. Hydrophis is a genus of sea snakes, venomous snakes in the subfamily Hydrophiinae of the family Elapidae. Species in the genus Hydrophis are typically found in Indo-Australian and Southeast Asian waters. Currently, around 36 species are recognized as being valid.