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Microcephalophis gracilis (SHAW, 1802)

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Higher TaxaElapidae (Hydrophiinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Narrow-headed sea snake, Graceful small-headed, slender seasnake, common small-headed sea snake
Farsi: Mâr-e daryâï-ye sarkuchak-e barâzandeh
Chinese: 小头海蛇 
SynonymHydrus Gracilis SHAW 1802: 560
Disteira gracilis — FITZINGER 1826: 55
Microcephalophis gracilis — LESSON 1831
Hydrus kadellnagam BOIE 1827 (based on RUSSELL 1801)
Thalassophis microcephala SCHMIDT 1852: 78
Hydrophis microcephalus — DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 1356
Hydrophis Gracilis — DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 1352
Hydrophis microcephala — FISCHER 1856: 53
Hydrophis gracilis — FISCHER 1856: 54
Hydrophis leprogaster DUMÉRIL & BIBRON in FISCHER 1856: 53 (nom. nud.)
Hydrophis gracilis — GÜNTHER 1864: 373
Hydrophis gracilis — ANDERSON 1872
Hydophis Guntheri MURRAY 1884: 384
Hydrophis gracilis — BOULENGER 1896: 280
Distira gracilis — WALL 1909
Hydrophis rostralis SMITH 1917: 340
Microcephalophis gracilis — WALL 1921: 325
Microcephalophis gracilis gracilis — SMITH 1926
Microcephalophis gracilis — SMITH 1943: 472
Hydrophis gracilis — BAUER & VINDUM 1990
Hydrophis gracilis — WELCH 1994: 67
Microcephalophis gracilis — DAS 1996: 61
Hydrophis gracilis — COGGER 2000: 716
Microcephalophis gracilis — GROSSMANN & TILLACK 2001
Hydrophis gracilis — LEVITON et al. 2003
Hydrophis (Microcephalophis) gracilis — KHARIN 2004
Hydrophis gracilis — DAVID et al. 2004
Microcephalophis gracilis microcephalus — KHARIN 2005
Hydrophis gracilis — GREER 2006 (online)
Hydrophis gracilis — NGUYEN et al. 2009
Hydrophis gracilis — MURTHY 2010
Hydrophis gracilis — RASMUSSEN et al. 2011
Microcephalophis gracilis — SANDERS et al. 2012
Microcephalophis gracilis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 439
Microcephalophis gracilis — RASMUSSEN 2014
Microcephalophis gracilis — REZAIE-ATAGHOLIPOUR et al. 2016
Microcephalophis gracilis — EIPPER & EIPPER 2019
Hydrophis gracilis — WEINELL et al. 2019
Hydrophis gracilis — KAMALI 2020
Microcephalophis gracilis — ASH 2022
Microcephalophis gracilis — UKUWELA et al. 2022
Hydrophis gracilis — DAS 2023 
DistributionIndian Ocean: Pakistan, India (Gujarat etc.), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand, Philippines,
South China Sea northward to the coast of Fujian (China), Vietnam,
Persian Gulf to Bay of Bengal (Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran)
Coast of Peninsular Malaysia through Indoaustralian Archipelago to New Guinea,
Melanesia
Indonesia (Borneo)

Type locality: not given (fide O’SHEA 1996)  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1946.1.3.89
Syntype: ZMH R03347 [Thalassophis microcephalus] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Head small, body long and slender anteriorly; scales on thickest part of body juxtaposed; 5-6 maxillary teeth behind fangs; 17–21 scale rows around neck, 30–36 around thickest part of body (increase from neck to midbody 18–24); ventrals divided by a longitudinal fissure; prefrontal in contact with third upper labial; ventrals 220–287. Total length males 950 mm, females 1025 mm; tail length males 80 mm, females 95 mm. [after LEVITON 2003, but see also RASMUSSEN et al. 2011, REZAIE-ATAGHOLIPOUR et al. 2016: 156]


Additional details (1741 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous!

Synonymy partly after COGGER 1983 and STEJNEGER 1907.

Type species: Hydrus Gracilis SHAW 1802 is the type species of the genus Microcephalophis LESSON 1832.

Distribution: Erroneously reported from New Caledonia fide BAUER & SADLIER 2000. Reports from New Caledonia turned out to be H. coggeri (Rasmussen 2014). Not in Australian waters fide Rasmussen 2014. Reports from Australia are doubtful or misidentifications (e.g. of H. elegans).

Habitat: marine. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin “gracilis”, meaning small or lanky, or gracile. 
References
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