Hydrophis mamillaris
species of reptile
Hydrophis mamillaris, sometimes referred to as the Bombay sea snake or broad-banded sea snake is a species of venomous sea snake native to the Indian Ocean. It is a poorly studied and surveyed species, with few records and a dubious type specimen.
Taxonomy and etymology
The Bombay sea snake was first described by François Marie Daudin in 1803, from a specimen collected at Visakhapatnam on India's eastern coast. It was first assigned to the genus Anguis, and given the specific name mamillaris. This refers to the central tubercle at the center of each scale, which was thought to resemble the mammalian nipple.
Some authorities express doubt over the veracity of Daudin's type specimen, arguing that the vague description provided is insufficient. However, later specimens collected at Visakhapatnam were apparently satisfactory, and most available research asserts that the Bombay sea snake is a valid species.
In the two centuries since the Bombay sea snake's discovery, assignments to multiple genera have been proposed- including Aturia, Chitulia, and Leioselasma. It was assigned to Hydrophis in 1943, where it remains to this day.
Description
The Bombay sea snake is a small (2–2 ½ feet) snake with greyish coloration and a body patterned with black bands.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Hydrophis mamillaris” is species of reptile. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Hydrophis, mamillaris and species, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “species of reptile” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 16, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1280081. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1803 and 1943.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Hydrophis mamillaris” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.