Dr. Paddy Ryan, USA
Info
Hydrophis coggeri (Kharin, 1984)
Cogger's sea snake is a venomous sea snake from the Hydrophiinae subfamily of the Elapidae family. It is native to the waters around Western Australia and the southern Pacific Ocean.
The species name “coggeri” honors Australian herpetologist Harold Cogger.
Description: The water snake has yellow and black bands all over its body. The black bands are smaller than the yellow ones. The head is distinct from the body and marks a neck. The tail is flattened vertically. The scales on the head are larger than those on the rest of the body. The snake appears to be “smiling,” which is related to the position of the jaw. The nostrils are on the top of the head.
There is sexual dimorphism in Hydrophis coggeri. Females are larger than males. They are viviparous and give birth to 1 to 8 young.
The diet of Hydrophis coggeri consists of various fish, including gobies, moray eels, and snake eels.
It can be confused with Laticauda saintgironsi, as both snakes are narrow and have yellow and black stripes, and with the yellow-lipped sea snake (Laticauda colubrina), which has darker yellow bands.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Synonymised names
Leioselasma coggeri Kharin, 1984 · unaccepted
Cogger's sea snake is a venomous sea snake from the Hydrophiinae subfamily of the Elapidae family. It is native to the waters around Western Australia and the southern Pacific Ocean.
The species name “coggeri” honors Australian herpetologist Harold Cogger.
Description: The water snake has yellow and black bands all over its body. The black bands are smaller than the yellow ones. The head is distinct from the body and marks a neck. The tail is flattened vertically. The scales on the head are larger than those on the rest of the body. The snake appears to be “smiling,” which is related to the position of the jaw. The nostrils are on the top of the head.
There is sexual dimorphism in Hydrophis coggeri. Females are larger than males. They are viviparous and give birth to 1 to 8 young.
The diet of Hydrophis coggeri consists of various fish, including gobies, moray eels, and snake eels.
It can be confused with Laticauda saintgironsi, as both snakes are narrow and have yellow and black stripes, and with the yellow-lipped sea snake (Laticauda colubrina), which has darker yellow bands.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Synonymised names
Leioselasma coggeri Kharin, 1984 · unaccepted
