The dangerously venomous Hydrophis jerdonii (sometimes referred to as Kerilia jerdoni) occurs in Myanmar (where it is known from Tanintharyi Division, Mergui Archpelago), as well as along the east coast of India and Sri Lanka east to the Straits of Malacca and the east coast of Malaysia to Borneo (Leviton et al. 2003).
Leviton et al. (2003) provide a technical description of this species: Body subcylindrical, nearly uniform diameter throughout; scales keeled and imbricate, in 17-23 longitudinal rows, 17 on neck, 21-23 (19-21 for Bay of Bengal) at midbody; head short; prefrontals not usually in contact with upper labials; 6 upper labials, 3-4 bordering eye; 1 pre-and 1 postocular; 1 large anterior temporal; ventrals 225-253 for Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Siam (247-278 farther east), small, distinct throughout, usually entire; olive above, yellowish or white below, with black dorsal spots of crossbars that form complete bands, especially in young. Total length: 1000 mm; tail length 100 mm.
Jerdon's sea snake (Hydrophis jerdonii ; Distira jerdonii or Kerilia jerdonii) is a species of venomous sea snake in the subfamily Hydrophiinae.
The specific name, jerdonii, is in honor of British zoologist Thomas C. Jerdon.[2]
M.A. Smith (1943) describes the species as follows:[3] Head short, snout declivous and much narrowed anteriorly; eye moderate; rostral as high as broad; prefrontals small, usually not in contact with the supralabials; frontal much longer than broad, nearly as long as its distance from the end of the snout: 1 pre- and 1 postocular; 6 supralabials, the last often confluent with the single anterior temporal, the 3rd and 4th touching the eye: 7–8 infralabials, the first three in contact with the genitals, both pairs of which are well developed and in contact with one another.
17 [dorsal] scale-rows on the neck. 21 or 23, rarely 19, at mid-body, imbricate and strongly keeled ; Ventrals 225–253 for specimens from the coasts of India and Gulf of Siam; 247-278 for 11 examples from Cap St. Jacques and S. Annam (fide Bourret, p. 25).
Hemipenis forked near the tip; it is spinose throughout, the spines being of moderate size, closely set and becoming slightly larger as they approach the proximal end.
Olive above, yellowish or white beneath, with black dorsal spots or rhombs which extend round the body to form complete bands in the young; intermediate dorsal spots or bars are usually present. Examples from the Bay of Bengal have 19 or 21 scales at mid-body and the dorsal bars number from 30 to 38 (typical form). Examples from the Gulf of Siam have usually 21 or 23 scales at mid-body and the dorsal bars number from 34 (K. j. siamensis).
Total length: 1 m (3.3 ft), tail 10 cm (3.9 in).
Indian Ocean (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar (Burma), Mergui Archipelago), Coast of Taiwan (China), South China Sea, Bay of Bengal (to Sri Lanka), along coasts of W Malaysia to Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Siam, Indonesia (Borneo).
Race siamensis: Gulf of Thailand.
Type locality: Madras, India.
Jerdon's sea snake (Hydrophis jerdonii ; Distira jerdonii or Kerilia jerdonii) is a species of venomous sea snake in the subfamily Hydrophiinae.
