Elapidae · Philippine record
Hydrophis cyanocinctusDAUDIN 1803
Venom: Basic classification explicitly recorded in the species account. Detailed effects and medical significance have not yet been summarised here.
Species account, Comments
Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.
Dark bluish-to-black bands vary in width and may form complete rings or fade on the sides. Older animals can lose the conspicuous contrast, so banding alone is insufficient. Its atlas account links 2 named island or island-group records to the source literature.
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Explore the island records ↓Species portrait
Hydrophis cyanocinctus
Image to followThe illustrated collection
Adult · study plate
Hydrophis cyanocinctus
Image to followJuvenile · study plate
Hydrophis cyanocinctus
Image to followLife stages will be labelled from the contributor’s information. Images alone do not establish identification or a locality record.
Media provenance
Contributor images are forthcoming. Photographs and illustrations will retain their individual credits, permissions and evidence notes.
A closer look
Along with Hydrophis curtus, this species dominates the marine-snake skin trade described in the 2024 review. Sustainable harvest levels remain uncertain.
Literature documented · Abstract
Regional trade review.
Not a Philippine stock assessment or a current Red List classification.
Dark bluish-to-black bands vary in width and may form complete rings or fade on the sides. Older animals can lose the conspicuous contrast, so banding alone is insufficient.
Literature documented · Diagnosis: colour variation
Species-level database summary; literature review, not expert validation.
The cited account does not establish population-wide variation or the conditions at every Philippine locality.
The species account records live-bearing reproduction, using the term ovoviviparous. A verified Philippine litter-size range and reproductive calendar are not established here.
Literature documented · Reproduction field
Reproductive mode reported for this named species.
Mode alone does not establish litter or clutch size, seasonal timing, or captive husbandry requirements.
The account records a marine habitat. Island names on the map identify reported coastal areas; they are not land occupancy or a boundary of the species’ marine range.
Literature documented · Comment: Habitat
Species-level database summary; literature review, not expert validation.
The cited account does not establish population-wide variation or the conditions at every Philippine locality.
The atlas records Hydrophis cyanocinctus from these named Philippine areas: Panay, Cebu. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
Literature documented · Existing checklist occurrence statement and distribution review
The original evidence level is retained.
A country listing cannot establish an island or a precise locality.
Hydrophis cyanocinctus is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Elapidae. The authority is DAUDIN 1803. Earlier names and the original source notes are preserved below for comparison.
Literature documented · Checklist identity and nomenclatural trail
Checklist verified 2026-09-05; not a newly revised taxonomic backbone.
Historical names can cover different biological concepts; synonyms should not be used to transfer records automatically.
Across the archipelago
Coastal records: blue outlines
Blue outlines locate coastal records, not land occupancy or marine range boundaries.
Philippine distribution
Select an island to read its distribution record and sources. Uncoloured islands are not evidence of absence.
Indian Ocean (Persian Gulf, Iran, Pakistan, India (Kerala, Gujarat), Bangladesh, Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines (Visayan Sea, Panay, Cebu etc.), Sri Lanka, South China sea (incl. Hainan, Fujian), East China Sea (incl. Taiwan), Coastal regions of Shandong and Liaoning (China), Vietnam, Coasts of Persian Gulf (Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar), east through South Asia Indonesia (Java, Aru Islands, Borneo), Papua New Guinea, Korea Type locality: “Coromandel”
The atlas records Hydrophis cyanocinctus from these named Philippine areas: Panay, Cebu. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026 ↗Existing checklist occurrence statement and distribution review
Synopsis of the Snakes of the Philippines: A Synthesis of Data from Biodiversity Repositories, Field Studies, and the Literature ↗Existing checklist occurrence statement and distribution review
References attached to this species account. Island-specific evidence is shown separately where available.
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026 ↗
Challenges of regulating commercial use of marine elapid snakes in the Indo-Pacific ↗
Hydrophis cyanocinctus — The Reptile Database species account ↗
Living with wildlife
Venomous · Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Observe from a distance. Do not handle, corner or capture a snake to identify it. An incomplete venom account is not evidence that a species is safe to handle.
After a suspected snakebite, keep the person still and arrange urgent medical care. Avoid tight tourniquets, cutting, suction and unproven remedies. Do not wait to identify the snake before seeking help.
WHO guidance on snakebite first aidSpecies record
Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.
Indian Ocean (Persian Gulf, Iran, Pakistan, India (Kerala, Gujarat), Bangladesh, Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines (Visayan Sea, Panay, Cebu etc.), Sri Lanka, South China sea (incl. Hainan, Fujian), East China Sea (incl. Taiwan), Coastal regions of Shandong and Liaoning (China), Vietnam, Coasts of Persian Gulf (Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar), east through South Asia Indonesia (Java, Aru Islands, Borneo), Papua New Guinea, Korea Type locality: “Coromandel”
Names through time
Hydrophis cyanocinctus DAUDIN 1803: 383 Leioselasma striata LACÉPÈDE 1804: 210 Hydrophis chittal RAFINESQUE 1817: 432 Hydrophis striata — SCHLEGEL 1837: 502 Hydrophis subannulata GRAY 1849: 54 Hydrophis aspera GRAY 1849: 55 ? Hydrophis striatus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1347 Hydrophis striata — FISCHER 1856: 41 Hydrophis westermani JAN 1859 Hydrophis westermanni — JAN 1863: 111 (emendation) Hydrophis trachyceps THEOBALD 1868: 70 Hydrophis crassicollis ANDERSON 1871: 19 Hydrophis tuberculata ANDERSON 1871: 18 (by SMITH 1920) Hydrophis crassicollis — ANDERSON 1872 Hydrophis tenuicollis PETERS 1873 Hydrophis taprobanica HALY 1887: 107 Hydrophis phipsoni MURRAY 1887: 32 Hydrophis cyanocincta — BOULENGER 1887: 408 Distira cyanocincta — WERNER 1896 Distira cyanocincta — BOULENGER 1896: 294 Distira sabavacensis BOULENGER 1900 (fide KHARIN 2008) Disteira cyanocincta — STEJNEGER 1907: 428 Hydrophis cyanocinctus — SMITH 1920 Leioselasma [sic] cyanocincta — WALL 1921: 361 Hydrophis cyanocinctus — MAKI 1931 Hydrophis cyanocinctus — SMITH 1943: 454 Leioselasma cyanocincta — PRATER 1924 Leioselasma cyanocinctus — KHARIN 1984 Leioselasma cyanocincta — WELCH 1994: 71 Leioselasma cyanocinctus — DAS 1996: 61 Hydrophis cyanocinctus — MURPHY, COX & VORIS 1999 Leioselasma cyanocincta — STUEBING & INGER 1999: 216 Leioselasma cyanocincta — KHARIN 2005 Leioselasma cyanocincta — KHARIN 2008 Hydrophis cyanocinctus — MAHONY et al. 2009 Hydrophis cyanocinctus — NGUYEN et al. 2009 Hydrophis cyanocinctus — MURTHY 2010 Hydrophis cyanocincta — RASMUSSEN et al. 2011 Hydrophis cyanocinctus — SANDERS et al. 2012 Leioselasma cyanocincta — WALLACH et al. 2014: 366 Leioselasma cyanocinctus — CHAN-ARD et al. 2015: 275 Hydrophis cyanocinctus — REZAIE-ATAGHOLIPOUR et al. 2016
Venomous! Synonymy partly after STEJNEGER 107. Habitat: marine. Distribution: not on the Solomon Islands by McCoy 2015 although reported from there by McCoy 2000. In Qatar fide Wikipedia. Presence in Japan uncertain. Type species: Leioselasma striata LACÉPÈDE 1804 = Hydrophis cyanocinctus DAUDIN 1803: 383 is the type species of the genus Leioselasma LACÉPÈDE 1804 (now a synonym of Hydrophis). Key: Kharin 1984 has a key to the species of Leioselasma (in Russian). Genome: Ludington et al. 2023
Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Aguilar, R.; Reyes, F.; Kudera, J.; Hošek, J. (eds.)
Leviton, A. E.; Siler, C. D.; Weinell, J. L.; Brown, R. M.
Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64(14): 399–568
Auliya, M.; Rasmussen, A. R.; Sanders, K. L.; Lobo, A. S.
Conservation Biology 38(5): e14336
Abstract consulted. Reviews literature from 1974–2022 and trade data; not a current Red List assessment.
Uetz, P.; Hallermann, J. et al. (editors)
Public species fields consulted for bounded biological summaries. Primary sources quoted within the database were not independently examined unless explicitly stated. The catalogue name may differ from the current source title.