Elapidae · Global account with Philippine editorial coverage
Hydrophis curtus(SHAW, 1802)
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.
The three or four lowest lateral scale rows are enlarged. Dark bands cross a greenish or yellowish upper surface and can join along the back. Its atlas account links 1 named island or island-group record to the source literature.
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Explore the island records ↓Species portrait
Hydrophis curtus
Image to followThe illustrated collection
Adult · study plate
Hydrophis curtus
Image to followJuvenile · study plate
Hydrophis curtus
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.
One species · Across borders
Explore the recorded countries and islands. Select a highlighted area to see its distribution evidence.
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Outlines locate marine/coastal records, not land occupancy. Uncoloured areas do not establish absence.
Natural Earth · 1:50m · public domain. Small islands may lack an outline.
Explore the distribution
Select a highlighted area to see its status, island records and sources. Each country and island links to the same shared species collection.
Use “Worldwide records” to include distant introduced and uncertain records in the map view.
Explicit Indonesian country or island locality supports inclusion.
A closer look
One of the principal sea snakes in the skin trade. Fisheries bycatch and commercial harvest are important regional pressures.
Literature documented · Abstract
Indo-Pacific review of 1974–2022 literature and trade data.
Does not quantify Philippine population decline or establish a current legal listing.
The three or four lowest lateral scale rows are enlarged. Dark bands cross a greenish or yellowish upper surface and can join along the back.
Literature documented · Diagnosis
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 database warns that distribution and synonymy still require adjustment following recognition of H. hardwickii. Older records under H. curtus may represent the broader historical concept.
Literature documented · Comment: taxonomic scope
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 curtus from these named Philippine areas: Panay. 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.
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.
Persian Gulf (Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran) Indian Ocean (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India: Kerala, Gujarat), Vietnam, South China Sea north to the coasts of Fujian and Shandong Strait of Taiwan, Bangladesh, Indoaustralian Archipelago North coast of Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia) Philippines (Panay etc.) Pacific Ocean (Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand, Indonesia, China, New Guinea), Malaysia (Borneo: incl. Sabah, Sarawak) Type locality: None given, but Shaw states that it is an "East-Indian species.").
The atlas records Hydrophis curtus from these named Philippine areas: Panay. 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
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 ↗
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.
Persian Gulf (Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran) Indian Ocean (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India: Kerala, Gujarat), Vietnam, South China Sea north to the coasts of Fujian and Shandong Strait of Taiwan, Bangladesh, Indoaustralian Archipelago North coast of Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia) Philippines (Panay etc.) Pacific Ocean (Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand, Indonesia, China, New Guinea), Malaysia (Borneo: incl. Sabah, Sarawak) Type locality: None given, but Shaw states that it is an "East-Indian species.").
Names through time
Hydrus Curtus SHAW 1802: 502 Hydrophis pelamidoides SCHLEGEL 1837: 187 Lapemis curtus — GRAY 1842 Lapemis loreatus GRAY 1843: 46 Hydrophis pelamidoides — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1345 Hydrophis (Pelamis) pelamidoides var. annulata FISCHER 1855 Hydrophis (Pelamis) pelamidoides — FISCHER 1856: 64 Hydrophis (Pelamis) pelamidoides var. annulata FISCHER 1856: 67 Hydrophis propinquus JAN 1859 Hydrophis abbreviatus JAN 1863: 109 Hydrophis brevis JAN 1863: 109 Hydrophis fayreriana ANDERSON 1871: 19 Hydrophis pelamoides HILGENDORF 1876: 31 (in error) Hydrophis hardwickei — BOETTGER 1888: 150 (emendation) Enhydris curtus — WERNER 1896 Enhydris curtus — BOULENGER 1896 Lapemis curtus — RASMUSSEN 1997 Lapemis curtus — MURPHY, COX & VORIS 1999 Lapemis curtus — WILSON & SWAN 2010: 532 Lapemis curtus — RASMUSSEN et al. 2011 Hydrophis curtus — SANDERS et al. 2012 [by implication] Lapemis curtus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 362 Lapemis curtus — COGGER 2014: 813 Lapemis curtus — CHAN-ARD et al. 2015: 263 Hydrophis curtus — REZAIE-ATAGHOLIPOUR et al. 2016: 141 Lapemis curtus — MILTO & LUKIN 2020 Hydrophis curtus — EIPPER & EIPPER 2024: 256
Venomous! Synonymy: Voris and Gritis (1990) included Lapemis hardwickii Gray, 1834 in the synonymy of L. curtus Shaw, 1802. Remaining synonymy mainly after STEJNEGER 1907. Distribution not yet corrected for resurrection of hardwickii from curtus. For a map see Sindaco et al. 2013. Records from Japan are doubtful and there are apparently no known voucher specimens (Ibuki Fukuyama, pers. comm., 8 Sep 2023) Habitat: marine. Genome: Ludington et al. 2023.
Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Aguilar, R.; Reyes, F.; Kudera, J.; Hošek, J. (eds.)
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.