Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.
The usual pattern sharply separates a dark back from a yellow or brown underside. Colour variants exist, and the flattened body and tail should be considered with other characters. Its atlas account links 3 named island or island-group records to the source literature.
OccurrenceSupported
Islands named3
Natural history5 sourced topics
References3
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Reserved for a contributor imageCredit and usage rights will accompany the image.
The illustrated collection
Adult & juvenile
Adult · study plate
Hydrophis platurus
Image to follow
Reserved for a contributor imageCredit and usage rights will accompany the image.
Juvenile · study plate
Hydrophis platurus
Image to follow
Reserved for a contributor imageCredit and usage rights will accompany the image.
Life stages will be labelled from the contributor’s information. Images alone do not establish identification or a locality record.
Media provenance
Every image carries its source.
Contributor images are forthcoming. Photographs and illustrations will retain their individual credits, permissions and evidence notes.
One species · Across borders
Global distribution
Countries and territories named in the checked sources. Island links and country lists use these same occurrence records; a country record does not imply presence on every island.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
United States and New Zealand records include vagrants, not established introduced populations. Korea remains geographically unresolved. Kosrae supports Federated States of Micronesia.
Checked 7 October 2026. Listed, introduced and uncertain records remain distinct. Islands not yet indexed are not claims of absence. Broad references such as “Borneo” or “New Guinea” are not automatically assigned to every country sharing the island.
Indonesian locality notes and qualifications
Explicit Indonesian country or island locality supports inclusion.
A closer look
Natural history & identification
Distribution
Luzon, Sibuguey Bay, Jolo, Sibutu, Gigantes Islands and Surigao.
Coastal island outlines are geographic context, not a mapped marine range.
Appearance & identification
The usual pattern sharply separates a dark back from a yellow or brown underside. Colour variants exist, and the flattened body and tail should be considered with other characters.
Literature documented · Diagnosis; Comment: variation
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 describes an open-ocean, pelagic distribution. Coastal island markers in this atlas are locality references, not boundaries of its oceanic 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.
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.
Taxonomic context
Hydrophis platurus is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Elapidae. The authority is (LINNAEUS 1766). 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
Luzon, Sibuguey Bay, Jolo, Sibutu, Gigantes Islands and Surigao.
3 named islands / island groups
Select an island to read its distribution record and sources. Uncoloured islands are not evidence of absence.
Distribution record & sources
Indian Ocean, India (Gujarat, Kerala, Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands), Sri Lanka, Pacific Ocea
n (Japan), Bangladesh, Singapore,
South China Sea northward to the coastal regions of Zhejiang and Taiwan, Vietnam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia (Borneo)
coasts of Malay Peninsula and Indoaustralian Archipelago to New Guinea, Gulf of Thailand and Philippines (Surigao del Norte etc.), Korea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Micronesia (Kosrae), Palau
Russia (S Primorskij Territory; Only one dead specimen was found in Russia: on the coast of the Sea of Japan, near Vladivostok city; a second one was reported by Kharin 2007)
Middle East: Iraq, Qatar
Africa and Near East: Madagascar, Tanzania (Loveridge 1957), Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, Persian Gulf (Oman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran etc.) to Bay of Bengal, coastal Republic of South Africa
Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia), New Zealand, Solomon Islands [McCoy 2000], New Caledonia, Nauru,
Americas: USA (California - occasionally, e.g. during El Niño years), Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Gulf of California, Jalisco, Sonora, Sinaloa, Guerrero, Nayarit), Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Peru; Chile, possibly introduced to the Caribbean.
Type locality: non given
xanthos: Costa Rica; Type locality: Costa Rica: Golfo Dulce: inner basin, 08°35.76'N; 083°13.25'W.
Luzon, Sibuguey Bay, Jolo, Sibutu, Gigantes Islands and Surigao.
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. 465). Luzon, Sibuguey Bay, Jolo, Sibutu, Gigantes Islands and Surigao.
Islands named
Luzon, Mindanao, Jolo
Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.
Source distribution statement
Indian Ocean, India (Gujarat, Kerala, Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands), Sri Lanka, Pacific Ocea
n (Japan), Bangladesh, Singapore,
South China Sea northward to the coastal regions of Zhejiang and Taiwan, Vietnam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia (Borneo)
coasts of Malay Peninsula and Indoaustralian Archipelago to New Guinea, Gulf of Thailand and Philippines (Surigao del Norte etc.), Korea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Micronesia (Kosrae), Palau
Russia (S Primorskij Territory; Only one dead specimen was found in Russia: on the coast of the Sea of Japan, near Vladivostok city; a second one was reported by Kharin 2007)
Middle East: Iraq, Qatar
Africa and Near East: Madagascar, Tanzania (Loveridge 1957), Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, Persian Gulf (Oman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran etc.) to Bay of Bengal, coastal Republic of South Africa
Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia), New Zealand, Solomon Islands [McCoy 2000], New Caledonia, Nauru,
Americas: USA (California - occasionally, e.g. during El Niño years), Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Gulf of California, Jalisco, Sonora, Sinaloa, Guerrero, Nayarit), Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Peru; Chile, possibly introduced to the Caribbean.
Type locality: non given
xanthos: Costa Rica; Type locality: Costa Rica: Golfo Dulce: inner basin, 08°35.76'N; 083°13.25'W.
Knowledge coverage
EndemismResearch pending
EcologyLiterature documented
VenomVenomous Effects not yet summarised in this atlasDetailed research: Research pending
Venomous!
Synonymy after COGGER 1983 and STEJNEGER 1907. The name must read “Pelamis platura” not “platurus” according to BÖHME (2003), Salamandra 39 (2): 124.
Subspecies: Solorzano & Sasa 2024 argue that xanthos does not deserve the status of subspecies but it remains unclear how different this population is from the rest of its range.
Type species: Pelamis bicolor Schneider, 1799 is the type species of the genus Pelamis Daudin, 1803:361.
Habitat: marine.
Distribution: Pelamis platura is the most widely distributed species of all snakes and it is pelagic (Hecht et al., 1974). In Qatar fide Wikipedia. Not in Namibia fide Guinea et al. 2017 (despite being reported from there by Branch 1998)
Variation: Completely yellow and mottled variants have been described on this species from Costa Rica (Lillywhite 2014: 139).
Abundance: this is one of the most common sea snakes. In 1966 in the Gulf of Thailand, H. platurus made up 55% of scientifically captured sea snakes (Rieken 1969)
References attached to this record
2026
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026
Hydrophis platurus — 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.