Rare, venomous sea snake invading Iranian coast

TEHRAN, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- The Günther's sea snake, a rare, venomous species named for herpetologist Albert Günther, has been found 250 miles to the west of its known range, inhabiting waters off the coast of Iran.

Until now, biologists believed the elusive sea snake's range stopped along the coast of Pakistan. As a new study published in the journal ZooKeys reveals, the snake has moved into the Gulf of Oman.

The Günther's sea snake, Microcephalophis cantoris, is a viviparous sea snake, meaning it gives live birth. The snake's venom is highly toxic. The species was first discovered in 1864 by Günther, a German-born British zoologist.

A team of biologists from Iran and France have been conducting a survey of sea snake biodiversity in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

"Previous identification guides for sea snakes of the Persian Gulf and its adjacent waters in the Gulf of Oman were based on old data and confined mostly to written descriptions," researchers wrote in a paper describing the discovery.

The Günther's sea snake specimen was caught by a trawler during one of the team's research expeditions.

The latest discovery brings the total number of highly venomous viviparous sea snake species in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to 10. There are 60 such species found throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

The newly updated catalogue of Persian Gulf sea snakes includes a checklist for identification. One of the attributes that sets apart the Günther's sea snake is its head, which is especially large compared to its body.