SEAVR 2023: 013‐014
ISSN: 2424‐8525
Date of publication: 03 May 2023
Hosted online by ecologyasia.com

Predation by a Yellow‐lipped Sea Krait, Laticauda colubrina (Schneider 1799),
on a Moray Eel (Gymnothorax sp.) at Balayan Bay, Philippines
Arnel SEVILLA & Przemysław ZDUNEK
arnel@portulano.com (Sevilla), zdunek.komodo@gmail.com (Zdunek)

Observer: Arnel Sevilla.
Photographs by: Arnel Sevilla.
Subjects identified by: Przemysław Zdunek.
Location: Balayan Bay, Batangas, Luzon Island, Philippines (13.82017°N, 120.90144°E; WGS 84).
Elevation: Approx. 15 metres below sea level.
Habitat: Dominated by soft and fan corals.
Date and time: 08 January 2023, around noon.
Identity of subjects:(i) Yellow‐lipped Sea Krait, Laticauda colubrina (Reptilia: Squamata: Elapidae)(ii) Moray Eel, Gymnothorax sp. (Actinopterygii: Anguilliformes: Muraenidae).

Fig. 1. Gymnothorax sp. spotted and being engulfed by an adult Laticauda colubrina.

13© Arnel SevillaDescription of record:
During a dive tour at The Pinnacle dive site, Balayan Bay, an adult (estimated total length ~120cm) Yellow‐lipped
Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina) was observed foraging in crevices at a depth of about 15 meters. The watertemperature was 26°C with a strong current. After a while, the snake noticed an eel’s head (Gymnothorax sp.)
protruding from a crevice. The snake bit its prey, holding it by its head until it stopped struggling (Fig. 1). Due to thestrong current, the act of swallowing the prey was not photographed.
Remarks:
The banded patterning, and distinctive yellow upper lip and snout clearly identify this snake as the Yellow‐lipped
Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina, Schneider 1799) (Das 2021). The eel is identified as a moray eel of the genus
Gymnothorax based on location, jaw shape, eye color, and general coloration (Allen et al. 2015).
Laticauda colubrina is a widely distributed, semi‐aquatic venomous snake (Das 2021). It has an eel‐specialist diet,although they are known to also prey upon other small fish species (Tan et al. 2017). Observations of this type are
known from other areas of occurrence of this species (Heatwole et al. 2005; Bonnet et al. 2010) by examining thecontents of the stomach (Herre 1942). Shetty and Shine (2002) documented some sexual divergence in terms ofdietary habits with females, which are larger, primarily preying upon conger eels (Conger spp.), and males, which
are smaller, on moray eels (Gymnothorax spp.).
To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first documented direct observation of predation by L. colubrina on
Gymnothorax sp. at Balayan Bay, Philippines (Herre and Rabor, 1949). Even as a single event, this record broadens
the scope of information about the natural history and ecology of sea kraits and their prey.
References:Allen, G., Steene, R., Humann, P., DeLoach, N. (2015). Reef fish identification: Tropical Pacific. 2nd edition. New
World Publications, Jacksonville, Florida, USA. 502 pp.
Bonnet, X., Brischoux, F., Lang, R. (2010). Highly venomous sea kraits must fight to get their prey. Coral Reefs 29:379.
Das, I. (2021). Snakes of Southeast Asia. 3rd edition. John Beaufoy Publishing, Oxford. 176 pp.
Heatwole, H., Busack, S., Cogger, H. (2005). Geographic variation in sea kraits of the Laticauda colubrina complex(Serpentes: Elapidae: Hydrophiinae: Laticaudini). Herpetological Monographs 19(1): 1–136.
Herre, A.W.C.T. (1942). Notes on Philippine Sea‐Snakes. Copeia 1: 7‐9.
Herre, A.W.C.T. & Rabor, D.S. (1949). Notes on Philippine Sea Snakes of the Genus Laticauda. Copeia 4: 282‐284
Shetty, S., & Shine, R. (2002). Sexual divergence in diets and morphology in Fijian sea snakes Laticauda colubrina(Laticaudinae). Austral Ecology 27(1): 77‐84.
Tan, C.H., Wong, K.Y., Tan, K.Y., Tan, N.H. (2017). Venom proteome of the yellow‐lipped sea krait, Laticauda
colubrina from Bali: Insights into subvenomic diversity, venom antigenicity and cross‐neutralization by antivenom.
Journal of Proteomics 166: 48–58.

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