The Graceful Small-headed Sea Snake or Slender Sea Snake Hydrophis gracilis is a species of Elapidae (Hydrophiinae-sea snake). Microcephalophis gracilis is a synonym of the snake.
Diagnostic characters
Head small, body long and slender anteriorly; scales on thickest part of body juxtaposed; 5-6 maxillary teeth behind fangs; 17-21 scale rows around neck, 30-36 around thickest part of body (increase from neck to midbody 18-24); ventrals divided by a longitudinal fissure; prefrontal in contact with third upper labial; ventrals 220-287.
Total length males 950 mm, females 1025 mm; tail length males 80 mm, females 95 mm.
Distribution
Indian Ocean (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines)
South China Sea northward to the coast of Fujian (China)
Persian Gulf to Bay of Bengal (Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran)
Coast of Malaysia through Indoaustralian Archipelago to New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia (Queensland), Melanesia, Indonesia
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Scientific classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Suborder
Serpentes
Family
Hydrophiidae
Genus
Hydrophis
Species
Hydrophis gracilis
Common names
English:
Graceful small-headed sea snake
Graceful sea snake
Slender sea snake
Common small-headed sea snake
Thai: งูคออ่อนหัวเข็ม, ngu khor oon hua khem
Synonyms
Microcephalophis gracilis, Van Stanley Bartholomew Wallach et al. (2014)
Hydrophis gracilis, Arne Redsted Rasmussen et al. (2011)
Hydrophis gracilis, T.S.N. Murthy (2010)
Hydrophis gracilis, Nguyen Van Sang et al. (2009)
Hydrophis gracilis, Allen Eddy Greer (2006)
Microcephalophis gracilis microcephalus, Vladimir Emelyanovich Kharin (2005)
Hydrophis gracilis, Patrick David et al. (2004)
Hydrophis (Microcephalophis) gracilis, Vladimir Emelyanovich Kharin (2004)
Hydrophis gracilis, Alan E. Leviton et al. (2003)
Microcephalophis gracilis, Wolfgang Grossmann & Frank Tillack (2001)
Hydrophis gracilis, Harold Cogger (2000)
Microcephalophis gracilis, Indraneil Das (1996)
Hydrophis gracilis, Kenneth R. G. Welch (1994)
Hydrophis gracilis, Aaron Matthew Bauer & Jens V. Vindum (1990)
Microcephalophis gracilis, Malcolm Arthur Smith (1943)
Microcephalophis gracilis gracilis, Malcolm Arthur Smith (1926)
Microcephalophis gracilis, Frank Wall (1921)
Hydrophis rostralis, Malcolm Arthur Smith (1917)
Distira gracilis, Frank Wall (1909)
Hydrophis gracilis, George Albert Boulenger (1896)
Hydophis guntheri, James A. Murray (1884)
Hydrophis gracilis, Albert Charles Lewis Günther (1864)
Hydrophis leprogaster, André Marie Constant Duméril & Gabriel Bibron in Johann Gustav Fischer (1856)
Hydrophis gracilis, Johann Gustav Fischer (1856)
Hydrophis microcephala, Johann Gustav Fischer (1856)
Hydrophis gracilis, André Marie Constant Duméril, Gabriel Bibron & Auguste Duméril (1854)
Hydrophis microcephalus, André Marie Constant Duméril, Gabriel Bibron & Auguste Duméril (1854)
Thalassophis microcephala, Karl Patterson Schmidt (1852)
