A new subspecies of sea snake, hydrophis platurus xanthos, from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Brooke L. Bessesen; Gary J. Galbreath

doi:10.3897/zookeys.686.12682

A new subspecies of sea snake, hydrophis platurus xanthos, from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Brooke L. Bessesen^*, Gary J. Galbreath

^*Corresponding author for this work

Program in Biological Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

We describe a distinctive new subspecies of sea snake from the occasionally anoxic inner-basin waters of Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, based on combined data garnered between 2010 and 2017 for 154 specimens, 123 free-ranging and 31 museum-held. The yellow sea snake, Hydrophis platurus xanthos Bessesen & Galbreath, subsp. n., is diagnosed by a notably smaller body size and nearly uniform yellow coloration, which contrasts with the black and yellow striae and tail spots or bands typical of the species. Within the modest geographic range (circa 320 km²), nearly all specimens possess both diagnostic character states. Bathymetrics appear to restrict genetic flow between this allopatric population and conspecifics in the broader Eastern Pacific. In perspicuous contrast to typical H. platurus, H. p. xanthos shows no association with drift lines, and feeds at night in turbulent waters, assuming a sinusoidal ambush posture never previously reported for the species. This evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) warrants taxonomic recognition and active protection.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	109-123
Number of pages	15
Journal	ZooKeys
Volume	2017
Issue number	686
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.686.12682
State	Published - 2017

Funding

The observations that made this paper possible were funded by a Greg Gund Memorial Fellowship, with field support from Osa Conservation and Saladero Eco-Lodge Costa Rica. We also thank Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University for funding, and Federico Bolanos, Adrián García and Gerardo Chaves at the Zoological Museum of University of Costa Rica for access to their collection. We give special thanks to Jorge Largaespada, Guido Saborío-R., Mike Boston, Harvey Woodard, Susan Rogers, Luis Nieto Vásquez, Adrian Forsyth, Andrew Whitworth, Max Villalobos, Alberto Rob-leto, Kathy Orr and Trevor Hurd for their indispensable assistance, and to Alan Resetar, Robert Holmgren, and Elizabeth Davidson for comments on the evolving manuscript.

Keywords

Costa Rica
Golfo dulce
Platurus
Sea snake
Taxonomy
Type specimens
Yellow color morph

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Animal Science and Zoology

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10.3897/zookeys.686.12682

Cite this

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title = "A new subspecies of sea snake, hydrophis platurus xanthos, from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica",

abstract = "We describe a distinctive new subspecies of sea snake from the occasionally anoxic inner-basin waters of Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, based on combined data garnered between 2010 and 2017 for 154 specimens, 123 free-ranging and 31 museum-held. The yellow sea snake, Hydrophis platurus xanthos Bessesen & Galbreath, subsp. n., is diagnosed by a notably smaller body size and nearly uniform yellow coloration, which contrasts with the black and yellow striae and tail spots or bands typical of the species. Within the modest geographic range (circa 320 km2), nearly all specimens possess both diagnostic character states. Bathymetrics appear to restrict genetic flow between this allopatric population and conspecifics in the broader Eastern Pacific. In perspicuous contrast to typical H. platurus, H. p. xanthos shows no association with drift lines, and feeds at night in turbulent waters, assuming a sinusoidal ambush posture never previously reported for the species. This evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) warrants taxonomic recognition and active protection.",

keywords = "Costa Rica, Golfo dulce, Platurus, Sea snake, Taxonomy, Type specimens, Yellow color morph",

author = "Bessesen, {Brooke L.} and Galbreath, {Gary J.}",

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year = "2017",

doi = "10.3897/zookeys.686.12682",

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PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - We describe a distinctive new subspecies of sea snake from the occasionally anoxic inner-basin waters of Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, based on combined data garnered between 2010 and 2017 for 154 specimens, 123 free-ranging and 31 museum-held. The yellow sea snake, Hydrophis platurus xanthos Bessesen & Galbreath, subsp. n., is diagnosed by a notably smaller body size and nearly uniform yellow coloration, which contrasts with the black and yellow striae and tail spots or bands typical of the species. Within the modest geographic range (circa 320 km2), nearly all specimens possess both diagnostic character states. Bathymetrics appear to restrict genetic flow between this allopatric population and conspecifics in the broader Eastern Pacific. In perspicuous contrast to typical H. platurus, H. p. xanthos shows no association with drift lines, and feeds at night in turbulent waters, assuming a sinusoidal ambush posture never previously reported for the species. This evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) warrants taxonomic recognition and active protection.

AB - We describe a distinctive new subspecies of sea snake from the occasionally anoxic inner-basin waters of Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, based on combined data garnered between 2010 and 2017 for 154 specimens, 123 free-ranging and 31 museum-held. The yellow sea snake, Hydrophis platurus xanthos Bessesen & Galbreath, subsp. n., is diagnosed by a notably smaller body size and nearly uniform yellow coloration, which contrasts with the black and yellow striae and tail spots or bands typical of the species. Within the modest geographic range (circa 320 km2), nearly all specimens possess both diagnostic character states. Bathymetrics appear to restrict genetic flow between this allopatric population and conspecifics in the broader Eastern Pacific. In perspicuous contrast to typical H. platurus, H. p. xanthos shows no association with drift lines, and feeds at night in turbulent waters, assuming a sinusoidal ambush posture never previously reported for the species. This evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) warrants taxonomic recognition and active protection.

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KW - Yellow color morph

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A new subspecies of sea snake, hydrophis platurus xanthos, from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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Supplementary material 1 from: Bessesen BL, Galbreath GJ (2017) A new subspecies of sea snake, Hydrophis platurus xanthos, from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. ZooKeys 686: 109-123. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.686.12682

Cite this

A new subspecies of sea snake, hydrophis platurus xanthos, from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Datasets

Supplementary material 1 from: Bessesen BL, Galbreath GJ (2017) A new subspecies of sea snake, Hydrophis platurus xanthos, from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. ZooKeys 686: 109-123. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.686.12682

Cite this