Northern mangrove seasnake
Species of snake From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The northern mangrove seasnake (Parahydrophis mertoni), also known commonly as the Arafura smooth seasnake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Australia and New Guinea.
| Northern mangrove seasnake | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Parahydrophis |
| Species: | P. mertoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Parahydrophis mertoni (Roux, 1910) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Taxonomy
The species was first described in 1910 as Distira mertoni by Jean Roux.[3][4] It was transferred to the genus, Parahydrophis, in 1974 by Burger and Netsuno.
Etymology
The specific name, mertoni, is in honor of German zoologist Hugo Merton.[5]
Geographic range
Parahydrophis mertoni is found in Northern Australia[3] in Northern Territory and Queensland. It is also found in New Guinea in the Arafura Sea.[2] It is found in the inter-tidal zone.[1]
Description
Parahydrophis mertoni is blackish-olive with about 46 yellow rings on the body and ten on the tail. The head shields are spotted with yellow, except for the rostral and labials which are black.[6]
Reproduction
Parahydrophis mertoni is viviparous.[2]
References
Further reading
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