Abstract
The critically endangered leaf-scaled (Aipysurus foliosquamaI) and short-nosed (A. apraefrontalis) sea snakes are currently recognised only from Ashmore and Hibernia reefs ~600km off the northwest Australian coast. Steep population declines in both species were documented over 15 years and neither has been sighted on dedicated surveys of Ashmore and Hibernia since 2001. We examine specimens of these species that were collected from coastal northwest Australian habitats up until 2010 (A.foliosquama) and 2012 (A. apraefrontalis) and were either overlooked or treated as vagrants in conservation assessments. Morphological variation and mitochondrial sequence data confirm the assignment of these coastal specimens to A. foliosquama (Barrow Island, and offshore from Port Hedland) and A.apraefrontalis (Exmouth Gulf, and offshore from Roebourne and Broome). Collection dates, and molecular and morphological variation between coastal and offshore specimens, suggest that the coastal specimens are not vagrants as previously suspected, but instead represent separate breeding populations. The newly recognised populations present another chance for leaf-scaled and short-nosed sea snakes, but coastal habitats in northwest Australia are widely threatened by infrastructure developments and sea snakes are presently omitted from environmental impact assessments for industry. Further studies are urgently needed to assess these species’ remaining distributions, population structure, and extent of occurrence in protected areas.
Highlights
One in five reptile species might be at risk of extinction and many are thought to have become extinct within the last 50 years [1]
In 1982 a single specimen identified as A. foliosquama was collected offshore from Port Hedland, and in 2010 a beach-washed specimen identified as A. foliosquama was collected on Barrow Island
The maximum clade credibility tree recovered Aipysurus foliosquama and A. apraefrontalis as reciprocally monophyletic sister species with a posterior probability of 0.98 (Fig. 3), and these formed a clade with A. duboisii that was supported by a pp of 1.0
Summary
One in five reptile species might be at risk of extinction and many are thought to have become extinct within the last 50 years [1]. Threats to reptiles include habitat loss and degradation [1], climate warming [2], and overharvest for food, traditional medicines and leather [3].
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