Grey's mudsnake (''Ephalophis greyae''), also known commonly as the mangrove seasnake, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
venomous snake
Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or g ...
in the subfamily
Hydrophiinae
Hydrophiinae is a subfamily of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae. It contains most sea snakes and many genera of venomous land snakes found in Australasia, such as the taipans (''Oxyuranus''), tiger snakes (''Notechis''), brown snakes (' ...
of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Elapidae
Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids ; grc, ἔλλοψ ''éllops'' "sea-fish") is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus Emydoce ...
. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to northwestern Australia.
Etymology
Its
specific name, ''greyae'', has also been spelled ''greyi''; however, it was named after a Beatrice Grey who collected the
holotype
A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...
,
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Ephalophis greyae'', p. 108).] necessitating a feminine possessive.
Reproduction
''E. greyae'' is
viviparous
Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...
.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Cogger HG (2014). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition''. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. .
* Smith MA (1931). "Description of a new genus of sea-snake from the coast of Australia, with a note on the structures providing for complete closure of the mouth in aquatic snakes". ''Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Second Series'' 1931: 397-398. (''Ephalophis greyi'', new species).
*Shea, Glenn M. (1996). "Correction of the incorrect original spelling of the species name of a Hydrophiid snake". ''The Snake'' 27 (2): 157. (''Ephalophis greyae'', new spelling).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q127756, from2=Q61885193
Elapidae
Snakes of Australia
Reptiles described in 1931
Monotypic snake genera