Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.
This is described as a stout-bodied form with strongly overlapping scales. Most ventral scales are divided, and dark bands or spots vary markedly between individuals. Its atlas account links 1 named island or island-group record to the source literature.
OccurrenceSupported
Islands named1
Natural history5 sourced topics
References3
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Coastal island outlines are geographic context, not a mapped marine range.
Appearance & identification
This is described as a stout-bodied form with strongly overlapping scales. Most ventral scales are divided, and dark bands or spots vary markedly between individuals.
Literature documented · Comment: diagnostic characters
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.
Reproduction
The species account records live-bearing reproduction, using the term ovoviviparous. A verified Philippine litter-size range and reproductive calendar are not established here.
Reproductive mode reported for this named species.
Mode alone does not establish litter or clutch size, seasonal timing, or captive husbandry requirements.
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
Hydrophis stokesii is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Elapidae. The authority is (GRAY 1846). 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
Gigantes Sur.
1 named island / island group
Select an island to read its distribution record and sources. Uncoloured islands are not evidence of absence.
Distribution record & sources
China Sea and Strait of Taiwan. Coastal areas from W India (Kerala), and Sri Lanka Lanka west through Gulf of Siam, Thailand, to China Sea, W Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore,
Indonesia east to New Guinea and the northern and eastern coast of Australia (New South Wales)
SE Asian Sea (from Pakistan to Australia), Philippines
Arabian peninsula
Type locality: Australian Seas.
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.
Distribution reviewed against cited source (p. 467). Gigantes Sur.
Islands named
Gigantes Sur
Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.
Source distribution statement
China Sea and Strait of Taiwan. Coastal areas from W India (Kerala), and Sri Lanka Lanka west through Gulf of Siam, Thailand, to China Sea, W Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore,
Indonesia east to New Guinea and the northern and eastern coast of Australia (New South Wales)
SE Asian Sea (from Pakistan to Australia), Philippines
Arabian peninsula
Type locality: Australian Seas.
Knowledge coverage
EndemismResearch pending
EcologyLiterature documented
VenomVenomous Effects not yet summarised in this atlasDetailed research: Research pending
Venomous!
Synonymy after COGGER 1983.
Type species: Hydrophis schizopholis SCHMIDT 1846 is the type species of the genus Astrotia FISCHER 1855: 38.
Habitat: marine.
Diagnostic characters: Ventrals divided into pairs of foliform scales, except on throat. Body stout, covered with strongly imbricate scales. Scale rows around neck 37–47; scale rows around body 46–63; ventrals 226–286. Maxillary teeth behind fangs 6–7. Colouration: Highly variable; body ranging from brown to more creamy-white above, pale brown or whitish below. Sometimes has 24–36 dark or black bands above, each tapering to a point lat- erally. Some specimens have spots in between the bands, laterally as well as ventrally.
References attached to this record
2026
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026
Hydrophis stokesii — 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.