Disteira

Disteira
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Hydrophiidae
Genus: Disteira
Species

Disteira kingii
Disteira major
Disteira nigrocincta
Disteira walli
...

Disteira is a genus of sea snakes.

History

Disteira was characterized by Boulenger in 1890 as having grooved maxillary teeth following the first pair of poison fangs.[1] However, later dental examination under more powerful magnification found all sea snakes have grooves in their teeth,[2] some deep and wide channels visible to the naked eye, others only at the base of the tooth and requiring magnification to observe.[3] In light of those new findings, Disteira and Hydrophis were merged until McDowell resurrected Disteira as a separate genus in 1972 to accommodate new species.[4] He redefined Disteira as possessing a broad dorsal portion of the venom gland muscle called the Oxyuranus pattern.[5]

Although McDowell rolled the monotypic genus Astrotia - which contains only Stoke's seasnake - into Disteira, that classification is not widely adopted.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Boulenger, George Albert (1890), "Reptilia and Batrachia", Fauna of British India, Taylor and Francis
  2. ↑ Stejneger, Leonhard (1907), Herpetology of Japan and Adjacent Territory, Harvard University, p. 418
  3. ↑ Denburgh, J.V.; Thompson, J.C. (December 31, 1908), "Description of a New Species of Sea Snake from the Philippine Islands", California Academy of Sciences, 3: 41–42
  4. ↑ Gopalakrishnakone, P (1994), Sea Snake Toxinology, NUS Press, p. 177, ISBN 9971-69-193-0
  5. 1 2 Roger S. Thorpe; Wolfgang Wüster; Anita Malhotra (1997), Venomous Snakes: Ecology, Evolution, and Snakebite, Oxford University Press, pp. 15–21, ISBN 0-19-854986-5


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