3 .
kilometres west of Niue, in eastern Indonesia, and
so how this isolated but related species evolved
remains a mystery. This species, too, is sometimes
placed in the separate genus Pseudolaticauda,
together with its much larger cousin.
What is the origin of the Niue sea krait? Did a few
L. semifasciata find their way to Niue and establish
a colony which evolved, in situ, on Niue. Or was
L. semifasciata once widely distributed throughout
the Pacific, eventually dying out except in the
isolated waters of Niue, where it evolved into its
present dwarf form. Hopefully the genetics of these
species will soon answer such questions.
Australians rightly regard many nearby Pacific
islands as perfect holiday destinations - friendly
people, tropical climates, warm waters and beautiful
coral reefs - and are surprised and alarmed when
they encounter large, conspicuously-banded snakes
while snorkelling or strolling the shoreline. Given the
snakes' presence in such large numbers, with such
toxic venoms and effective delivery systems, it is
fortunate for both locals and visitors alike that the
sea snakes are almost invariably inoffensive and
unwilling to bite, even when aggressively disturbed.
All sea kraits are egg-layers (the Lake Te'nngano
sea krait is reported to be a livebearer by some
Rennell Islanders) but, having collected and
released many hundreds of sea kraits during my
work on this group, I have never seen eggs incubat-
ing in the wild. Captive sea kraits will lay eggs that
are reasonably easy to incubate and hatch, but in
the wild the eggs are presumably deposited in
inaccessible places such as deep within crevices in
the coral limestone foreshores common amongst
many islands, or within limestone caves accessible
only through underwater openings.
1 . Laticauda schistorhyncha resting in a sea cave,
Nuie.
2 . Habitat of L. schistorhyncha.
3 . The large eggs of the Black-banded Sea Krait.
Oriomote Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan.