Hydrophiinae

Hydrophiinae is a group of venomous snakes that belongs to the family Elapidae. This group includes most sea snakes, which live in the ocean, as well as many land snakes found in places like Australia and nearby regions. Some well-known snakes in this family are taipans, tiger snakes, brown snakes, and death adders. These snakes are important because they help control the populations of small animals, and they are also studied by scientists to learn more about venom and how it can be used in medicine.

Taxonomy

Historically, the group Hydrophiinae included all sea snakes and was used to describe both true sea snakes and sea kraits (Laticauda). But recent studies show that Laticauda is closely related to all other hydrophiines. Because of this, Laticauda is sometimes placed in its own subgroup, called Laticaudinae.

Research also shows that true sea snakes are more closely related to land snakes in Australasia than to Laticauda. This means that these snakes adapted to living in water separately from each other.

Hydrophiinae includes 38 different groups, or genera. Some of these are sea snakes, marked with an asterisk in the list below:

• Acanthophis
• Aipysurus*
• Antaioserpens
• Aspidomorphus
• Austrelaps
• Brachyurophis
• Cacophis
• Cryptophis
• Demansia
• Denisonia
• Drysdalia
• Echiopsis
• Elapognathus
• Emydocephalus*
• Ephalophis*
• Furina
• Hemiaspis
• Hoplocephalus
• Hydrelaps*
• Hydrophis*
• Loveridgelaps
• Microcephalophis
• Micropechis
• Neelaps
• Notechis
• Ogmodon
• Oxyuranus
• Parahydrophis*
• Parapistocalamus
• Paroplocephalus
• Pseudechis
• Pseudonaja
• Rhinoplocephalus
• Salomonelaps
• Simoselaps
• Suta
• Toxicocalamus
• Tropidechis
• Vermicella