A new species of turtle-headed sea Snake (Emydocephalus: Elapidae) endemic to Western Australia

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dc.contributor.authorNankivell, J.H.
dc.contributor.authorGoiran, C.
dc.contributor.authorHourston, M.
dc.contributor.authorShine, R.
dc.contributor.authorRasmussen, A.R.
dc.contributor.authorThomson, V.A.
dc.contributor.authorSanders, K.L.
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description.abstractWe describe a new species of turtle-headed sea snake Emydocephalus orarius sp. nov. (Elapidae) from Western Australia's Coral Coast, Pilbara and Kimberley regions. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial markers places the new species as the sister lineage to the two currently recognised species in Emydocephalus: E. annulatus from the Timor Sea reefs and Coral Sea, and E. ijimae from the Ryukyu Islands. Analysis of nuclear SNP data from the new species and E. annulatus from Australia and New Caledonia provides additional independent evidence of their evolutionary distinctiveness. The new taxon is usually morphologically diagnosable from its congeners using a combination of scalation and colour pattern characters, and appears to reach greater total lengths (>1 m in the new species versus typically ~80 cm in E. annulatus/E. ijimae). The new species is known largely from soft-bottomed trawl grounds, unlike E. annulatus and E.ijimae which usually inhabit coral reefs. The discovery of this new species brings the number of sea snake species endemic to Western Australia to six.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityJames H. Nankivell, Claire Goiran, Mathew Hourston, Richard Shine, Arne R. Rasmussen, Vicki A. Thomson, Kate L. Sanders
dc.identifier.citationZootaxa, 2020; 4758(1):141-156
dc.identifier.doi10.11646/zootaxa.4758.1.6
dc.identifier.issn1175-5326
dc.identifier.issn1175-5334
dc.identifier.orcidNankivell, J.H. [0000-0003-0521-7383]
dc.identifier.orcidThomson, V.A. [0000-0001-8368-9664]
dc.identifier.orcidSanders, K.L. [0000-0002-9581-268X]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/125003
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMagnolia Press
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT130101965
dc.rights© Magnolia Press
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4758.1.6
dc.subjectReptilia; Hydrophiinae; marine; mitochondrial; RADseq; Australia; systematics
dc.titleA new species of turtle-headed sea Snake (Emydocephalus: Elapidae) endemic to Western Australia
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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