v14i1.356

eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v14i1.356

Submitted date: 9 December 2024
Accepted date: 21 April 2025
Published date: 31 May 2025
Pp. 75–76.

Sparks beneath the sea? First record of a lined colour morph in the sea snakes

M.H. Patel & D.S. Parmar
*Corresponding author. E-mail: ophiophagus_hannah10@yahoo.com

A recent study by Parmar & Kaiser (2024) linked unusual morphs in Russell’s Vipers and Wolfsnakes to the spark/spark genotype mutation. We report a similar aberrant pattern for the first time in a sea snake observed in India (Bharuch District, Gujarat). During a marine reptile survey on January 26, 2019, near Aliabet, Bharuch District, in the Gulf of Khambhat (21.5958°N, 72.4408°E), fishermen caught 24 Annulated Sea Snakes (Hydrophis cyanocinctus) and one Little Filesnake (Acrochordus granulatus). One sea snake had an unusual pattern, differing from all other sea snakes. This individual measured 1030 mm in SVL with a tail length of 110 mm.

Section Editor: Ivan Ineich