Chec List Rediscovery of the Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake, Hydrophis Platurus

Home , Hydrophis

n Rediscovery of the Yellow-bellied Sea Snake, Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766) in Máncora, northern Perú istributio 1* 2 3

D Javier Quiñones , Karla García Burneo and Claudio Barragan raphic g 1 Laboratorio Costero de Pisco, Instituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE), Av. Los Libertadores A-12, Urb. El Golf, Paracas, Ica, Perú. eo 2 CORBIDI, Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad, Calle Sta, Rita 105 Oficina 202, Urb. Huertos de San Antonio, Surco, Lima, Perú.

G [email protected]

n 3 Inspectorate SERVICES Perú S.A.C., Av. Elmer Faucett 444, Lima, Perú. o

* Corresponding Author. E-mail: Abstract: The presence of the Yellow-bellied Sea Snake (Hydrophis platurus otes N live-stranded specimen recently found in Peruvian waters, having washed ashore) in atthe Máncora Southeast (04.1255° Pacific is S, rarely81.0958° reported, W) in northernwith only Perúone confirmed on 12 July observation2012. This stranding from northern was associated Perú made with in the a Modoki early 1950s. El Niño We warm present event, new since information positive seabased surface on a temperature (SST) anomalies up to 2.5°C were registered at this time.

10.15560/10.6.1563

DOI:

The sea snake Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766) The specimen was stranded on a sandy beach at (formerly Pelamis platurus) is a pelagic marine species 04.1255° S, 81.0958° W (WGS84 datum, 0 m) on 12 July belonging to the family Elapidae. The species was recently 2012. The individual was still alive when found (Figure Hydrophis group”, a broadly 2), showing passive and non-aggressive behavior, and paraphyletic group with several other genera nested was collected by Claudio Barragán. The specimen was classifiedwithin it, withinand the the use “core of a single genus for that clade, Hydrophis Latreille, 1802, was recommended (Sanders animal appeared too weak to swim and was washed et al. 2013). The genus is widely distributed throughout ashorefirst tentatively after each releasedattempt (three in open in total). water. The However, individual the became motionless and only reacted passively and slowly et al. 1971). In the eastern to stimulus and it died after three hours. The specimen the tropicalHydrophis Indian platurus and Pacific is distributed oceans, from from the East coasts Africa of tothe Central Gulf of California America (Graham (Mexico) to northern Perú (including Pacific,the Galapagos Islands). Isolated individuals have been found as far north as San Clemente, California (Alvarez largestand Hernandez distribution 1998; of any Campbell snake species and Lamar in the 2004), world, with lowfew levelsreports of from genetic the variation Atlantic Ocean.throughout This itsspecies populations, has the region (Shelly et al. 2012). indicatingIn Perú, a almost high rate nothing of gene is known flow throughout about its ecology the Pacific and studies. What is known is based mainly on grey literature withpopulation scarce sizeanecdotal due to information logistical difficulties from offshore and waters, lack of and rare strandings of few individuals during summer with veryHydrophis few incidental platurus captures has been by observed artisanal off fishermen Tumbes and Piura, the northernmost Peruvian provinces, and months; datebriefly were described provided in (Maguiña an internal et al. report2000). ofWe the present Peruvian here aMinistry new record of Health, of a live-stranded but neither individual, geographical having location occurred nor northern Perú (Figure 1). The presence of the species in in front of the Hotel “Las Arenas,” south of Máncora in decades. Graham et al. (1971) were the last to mention thePerú occurrence has not been of formally confirmed in northern for Peruvian more than waters, four H. platurus Figure 1. Map showing the location where the sea snake was found referring to Ekman et al. (1953). (black square).

1563 Quiñones et al. | Rediscovery of Hydrophis platurus in northern Perú

Figure 2. Two upper photographs show the individual in Máncora immediately after capture, two lower photographs show the preserved individual

(CORBIDI 13619). Top photographs by Claudio Barragan and bottom ones by Karla Garcia Burneo. was preserved in formaldehyde (20%) and deposited Acknowledgments: We deeply thank Pablo J. Venegas from the

EnglishHeperpetological review, and DivisionIvan Ineich of for CORBIDIpertinent remarks (Centro on de a previous Ornitología version y in the Herpetological Department Collection of the Non- ofBiodiversidad) this manuscript. for identifying The authors the species.wish to Weacknowledge also thank Grantuse of Adams the Maptool for the Government Organization CORBIDI (Ornithological and program for analysis and graphics in this paper. Maptool is a product of www.seaturtle.org). male,Biodiversity total length Center) 660 inmm, Lima, tail length Perú (CORBIDI80 mm, head 13619). long Here follows a brief description of the specimen: adult LiteratureSEATURTLE.ORG Cited (information is available at caudal scales, 11 infra-caudal scales, 56 dorsal rows at ocurrencia de Pelamis platurus theand midbody, flattened, squared large scalesand juxtaposed on upper small head, dorsal 10 supra-scales, Alvarez-Leon, R. and J.I. Hernández-Camacho.Caldasia 1998. Notas sobre la 428 small and divided ventral scales, 49 sub-caudal scales, revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/cal/article/view/17474 (Reptilia: Serpientes: Hydrophiidae)). en el Pacifico Colombiano. 20(2): . 93–102The Venomous (http://www. Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere light brown belly, dorsal coloration abruptly differentiated Campbell, J.A., W.W. Lamar and E.D. Brodie. 2004 fromlaterally the ventral flattened color tail, by dorsum a uniform black 0.5 cm contrasting width yellowish with a Ekman, S. 1953. Zoogeography . ofIthaca, the Sea New York: Comstock Publishing band extending from the rear of the head to the origin of 417(Cornell pp. University Press). 782 pp. . London: Sidgwick & Jackson. the tail, tail with black and yellow reticulations. the Sea Snake Pelamis platurus Hydrophis platurus regulates its body temperature by Graham, J.B., I. Rubinoff andProceedings M.K. Hecht. of 1971. the National Temperature Academy physiology of Sciences of absorbing solar radiation at the surface of the water, and : An index of its colonization potential shortin the). Atlantic Ocean. by expelling heat while diving. The northern distribution Informe68(6): ENFEN, 1360–1363 2012. Comunicado (http://www.pnas.org/content/68/6/1360. Oficial ENFEN N°6-2012, Comité of the species coincides with the 18°C surface isotherm, Multisectorial encargado del estudio Nacional del fenómeno El Niño. Lima, Perú. 2 pp. Ofidismo, (Graham et al. Módulos Técnicos, Serie de Documentos Monográficos, Ministerio de ofwith the a southerncold Peruvian limit inCurrent. the Eastern SST where Pacific we noted found at 5°the S Maguiña, H., C. Maguiña, C. Mosquera and V. Laguna. 2000. 1971) during all seasons due to the influence Nacional de Salud (INS), Lima, Perú. 57 pp. Salud (MINSA), Oficina General de Epidemiologia (OEG) eMultilocus Instituto winter of 2012 an El Niño Modoki warm event took place phylogeny and recent rapid radiation of the viviparous sea snakes insnake Perú, was increasing 19°C. During the SST the anomalies austral autumnbetween and +0.6 early and Sanders, K.L., M.S. Lee, T. BertozziMolecular and A.R. PhylogeneticsRasmussen. 2013. and Evolution +2.5°C (June 2012), and sub-surface anomalies up to +2 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.021). (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae). and +4°C (~22-23°C) in May and June 2012, respectively Insights66(3): 575–591 into the (doi: phylogeography of the Yellow-bellied Sea Snake, Shelly,Pelamis C.M., A. platurus Solorzano,. Integrative J.B. Pfaller and and Comparative H.B. Lillywhite. Biology 2012. Preliminary 10.1093/icb/ics088). 52(2): 321– on(Informe the migration ERFEN 2012).of tropical However, Hydrophis no conclusive species in evidence the area 330 (doi: couldsince only be found one individual regarding was the stranded. influence Nevertheless, of warm waters the present report contributes to the knowledge of H. platurus Received: April 2014 distribution and occurrence in northern Perú. Accepted: October 2014 Published online: December 2014 Editorial responsibility: Philippe Kok 1564