Elapidae · Global account with Philippine editorial coverage
Hydrophis belcheri(GRAY, 1849)
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 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. 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 belcheri
Image to followThe illustrated collection
Adult · study plate
Hydrophis belcheri
Image to followJuvenile · study plate
Hydrophis belcheri
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
The account warns that Philippine specimens formerly identified as this species were reassigned to H. melanocephalus. A national checklist listing alone does not resolve the identity of those specimens.
Literature documented · Comment: Philippine specimen identifications
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 belcheri 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.
Indian Ocean (Philippines: Visayan area, Panay; New Guinea), Gulf of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and New Guinea, Australia Type locality: New Guinea (in error, fide DAVID & INEICH 1999)
The atlas records Hydrophis belcheri 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.
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 (Philippines: Visayan area, Panay; New Guinea), Gulf of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and New Guinea, Australia Type locality: New Guinea (in error, fide DAVID & INEICH 1999)
Names through time
Aturia belcheri GRAY 1849: 46 Hydrophis pachycercus FISCHER 1856 Hydrophis belcheri — GÜNTHER 1864 Distira belcheri — BOULENGER 1896 Hydrophis (Aturia) belcheri — MCDOWELL 1972: 229 Hydrophis belcheri — COGGER 1983: 249 Aturia belcheri — WELCH 1994: 25 Hydrophis belcheri — MURPHY, COX & VORIS 1999 Hydrophis belcheri — COGGER 2000: 714 Chitulia belcheri — KHARIN 2005 Hydrophis belcheri — NGUYEN et al. 2009 Hydrophis belcheri — RASMUSSEN et al. 2011 Chitulia belcheri — KHARIN & DOTSENKO 2012 Hydrophis belcheri — SANDERS et al. 2012 Chitulia (Chitulia) belcheri — KHARIN 2012 Chitulia belcheri — WALLACH et al. 2014: 165 Hydrophis belcheri — COGGER 2014: 956 Hydrophis belcheri — EIPPER & EIPPER 2024: 253
Venomous! Synonymy partly after COGGER 1983. Hydrophis pachycercos FISCHER 1855 has been removed from the synonymy of H. belcheri by RASMUSSEN et al. (200). Distribution: not on the Solomon Islands (Bougainville Island) by McCoy 2015 although the species was listed by SMITH 193 for the Solomons. Specimens that were earlier on referred to as C. belcheri from the Philippines (AMNH 3091, BMNH 1926.5.28.11) appear to belong to the species Leioselasma melanocephala (Gray, 1849), which is widely distributed along the coasts of southern Japan, China, and Taiwan and in the Gulf of Tonkin [KHARIN 2005]. The name Aturia is preoccupied and thus all species of Aturia have been referred to Chitulia (WILLIAMS & WALLACH 1989). Habitat: marine.
Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Aguilar, R.; Reyes, F.; Kudera, J.; Hošek, J. (eds.)
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.