Chinese Sea Snake

Open encyclopedia reference

The black-banded sea krait (Laticauda semifasciata), also known commonly as the Chinese sea snake or erabu, is a largely amphibious species of extremely venomous marine reptile in the subfamily Laticaudinae, family Elapidae (cobras, mambas, coralsnakes and their kin). It is found in much of the western Pacific Ocean and some of the Sea of Japan. In Japan, it is known as erabu umi hebi (ja:エラブウミヘビ, 'erabu sea snake'); in Okinawa, it is known simply as irabu. This sea krait frequents coral reef habitats, where it can explore tight spaces for prey, as 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.

Wikipedia contributors, Black-banded sea krait; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:10:19.120113+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Laticauda semifasciata (Reinwardt, 1837)

Name authority

(Reinwardt, 1837)

Common name

Chinese Sea Snake

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Elapidae

Genus

Laticauda

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
10. suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
11. infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
12. familyElapidae
13. genusLaticauda
14. speciesLaticauda semifasciata (Reinwardt, 1837)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Laticauda. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 276 records assigned to Elapidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Laticauda&species=semifasciata Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:3SLB3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.