The black-banded sea krait (''Laticauda semifasciata''), also known
commonly as the Chinese sea snake or erabu, 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 (biology), species of the Suborder (biology), suborder Snake, Serpentes that are capable of producing Snake venom, venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The v ...
in the
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Laticaudinae
Sea kraits are a genus of venomous elapid sea snakes (subfamily: Laticaudinae), ''Laticauda''. They are semiaquatic, and retain the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes for moving on land, but also have paddle-shaped tails for swimmi ...
of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
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 Emydoceph ...
. In
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
it is known as ''erabu umi hebi'' (
:ja:エラブウミヘビ), and in
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
as the ''irabu''. It is found in much of the western
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
.
This sea snake frequents
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
Co ...
areas. It has a short head, thick trunk, and no easily discernible neck. The tail is simply extended skin, spread wide like a fin, and unsupported by any bony projections from the vertebral column. The stomach is comparatively wide. Massing together near the shore, it breeds between narrow cracks in the reef and in caves. It is a nocturnal snake, rarely seen during the day. It breathes air; so it breaks the surface at least once every six hours.
Too slow to chase fish in open water, it hunts for fish by hiding in the coral reefs. Alternately, the black-banded sea krait is known to form hunting alliances with
bluefin trevally
The bluefin trevally (''Caranx melampygus''), also known as the bluefin jack, bluefin kingfish, bluefinned crevalle, blue ulua, omilu, and spotted trevally), is a species of large, widely distributed marine fish classified in the jack family, Ca ...
, flushing potential prey from narrow crannies in a reef the same way some moray eels do. The bite is highly venomous and paralyzes the prey. Females lay their eggs on land.
Generally, the species is found in
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, and Indonesia. Its venom is ten times stronger than that of a cobra. The snake does not attack humans unless it feels threatened or provoked.
The erabu snake is a winter staple in southern Japan, where it is believed to replenish a female's womanhood. Irabu soup ''irabu-jiru'' (
:ja:イラブー汁) is said to taste like miso and a bit like tuna. This soup was a part of the royal court cuisine of
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in the ...
; it is thought to have
analeptic
An analeptic, in medicine, is a central nervous system stimulant. The term "analeptic" typically refers to respiratory analeptics (for example, doxapram). Analeptics are central nervous system (CNS) stimulants that include a wide variety of medica ...
properties.
Development
Males and females of the black-banded sea krait reach sexual maturity at snout-vent lengths (SVL) of , respectively. Females lay 3–7 eggs that hatch after 4–5 months. ''L. semifasciata'' can reach a total length (including tail) of .
Location
The black-banded sea krait can be found in the warm waters of the western Pacific Ocean. However, researchers have recently found ''L. semifasciata'' in the waters surrounding southern
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. This area is located outside its "typical distribution range (Japan, China including
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
)."
[Park J, Kim I-H, Fong JJ, Koo K-S, Choi W-J, Tsai T-S, et al. (2017). "Northward dispersal of sea kraits (''Laticauda semifasciata'') beyond their typical range". ''PLoS ONE'' 12 (6): e0179871. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179871 ] The same researchers state that the black-banded sea krait has been dispersing northward from its typical distribution range due to climate change which has caused deterioration of its habitat.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Schlegel H (1837). ''Essai sur la Physionomie des Serpens'' olume 2 ''Partie Descriptive''. Amsterdam: M. H. Schonekat. 606 + xv pp. (''Platurus semifasciatus'' Reinwardt, new species, p. 516). (in French).
Laticauda
Reptiles of China
Reptiles of Indonesia
Reptiles of Japan
Reptiles of the Philippines
Reptiles of Taiwan
Reptiles described in 1837
{{Elapidae-stub