Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.
The account reports 21–23 longitudinal scale rows at the neck and body and 195–205 ventrals. It also warns of confusion with H. melanocephalus in published records. Its atlas account links 5 named island or island-group records to the source literature.
OccurrenceConfirmed
Islands named5
Natural history4 sourced topics
References3
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Coastal island outlines are geographic context, not a mapped marine range.
Appearance & identification
The account reports 21–23 longitudinal scale rows at the neck and body and 195–205 ventrals. It also warns of confusion with H. melanocephalus in published records.
Literature documented · Diagnosis; Comment: similar species
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.
Ecology & habitat
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.
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.
Taxonomic context
Laticauda semifasciata is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Elapidae. The authority is (REINWARDT 1837). 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
Where this species is recorded
PhilippinesN ↑
Coastal records: blue outlines
Blue outlines locate coastal records, not land occupancy or marine range boundaries.
Philippine distribution
Documented places
Coastal records: Babuyan Claro, Bohol, Capones, Cuyo, Gato, Luzon, Negros, Palawan, Sulu and Visayas.
5 named islands / island groups
Select an island to read its distribution record and sources. Uncoloured islands are not evidence of absence.
Distribution record & sources
South Chinese Sea (coasts of Fujian, Liaoning, Taiwan; China), South Korea,
Philippines, Japan (Ryukyu), Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippine and Moluccas Islands, West Pacific Ocean from Japan in the north to Samoa islands in the south. Found in Russia once: in waters of the Far East Maritime Reserve (the Sea of Japan's Peter the Great Bay; KHALIKOV, pers. comm.).
Type locality: Moluccas
Coastal records: Babuyan Claro, Bohol, Capones, Cuyo, Gato, Luzon, Negros, Palawan, Sulu and Visayas.
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.
Chinese Sea Snake · Russian: Большой морской крайт · Chinese: 半环扁尾海蛇
Authority
(REINWARDT 1837)
Year described
1837
Taxonomic status
Accepted species
Family
Elapidae
Subfamily
Laticaudinae
Genus
Laticauda
Species epithet
semifasciata
Persistent ID
PH-SERP-07265939A8
Checklist checked
2026-09-05
Philippine occurrence
Status
Present
Confidence
Confirmed
Basis
Distribution reviewed against cited source (p. 469). Coastal records: Babuyan Claro, Bohol, Capones, Cuyo, Gato, Luzon, Negros, Palawan, Sulu and Visayas.
Islands named
Babuyan Claro, Bohol, Luzon, Negros, Palawan
Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.
Source distribution statement
South Chinese Sea (coasts of Fujian, Liaoning, Taiwan; China), South Korea,
Philippines, Japan (Ryukyu), Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippine and Moluccas Islands, West Pacific Ocean from Japan in the north to Samoa islands in the south. Found in Russia once: in waters of the Far East Maritime Reserve (the Sea of Japan's Peter the Great Bay; KHALIKOV, pers. comm.).
Type locality: Moluccas
Knowledge coverage
EndemismResearch pending
EcologyLiterature documented
VenomVenomous Effects not yet summarised in this atlasDetailed research: Research pending
Venomous!
Synonymy: STEJNEGER 1907 synonymized Platurus (Laticauda) schistorhynchus with Laticauda semifasciata.
Similar species: Hydrophis melanocephalus; has been confused with this species in Korean waters (Kim et al. 2016).
Habitat: marine.
Type species: Platurus semifasciatus REINWARDT in SCHLEGEL 1837: 516 is the type species of the genus Pseudolaticauda KHARIN 1984.
Distribution: See maps in Gherghel et al. 2016, Heatwole et al. 2017, Kishida et al. 2020.
References attached to this record
2026
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026
Laticauda semifasciata — The Reptile Database species account
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.