Hydrophis nigrocinctus Daudin 1803

Mental scute large and not concealed in mental groove. 1-3 maxillary teeth behind fangs; 7-9 palatine teeth, similar in size to ptergyoid teeth. Head with yellow supraorbital stripe surrounding a blackish crown patch that extends forward to prefrontals. Olive to brown above with 40 to 60 narrow dark annuli; yellowish below. 27-33 scale rows around neck, 39-45 around midbody, imbricate and keeled. Ventrals 296-330, distinct throughout but not twice as large as adjacent scales; preanal scales enlarged. Total length 1080 mm, tail length 125 mm. (Leviton et al. 2003)

See Rasmussen et al. (2011) fordetails on distinguishing Hydrophis nigrocinctus and H. hendersoni.

Their has been much confusion over the taxonomic status of the dangerously venomous Hydrophis nigrocinctus, which in recent years has often been placed in a distinct genus, Disteira (Kharin and Czeblukov 2009), but Rasmussen et al. (2011) concluded that there is no reason to exclude this species from Hydrophis (a genus including several dozen species that are, collectively, distributed from the Persian Gulf to the Western Pacific). Rasmussen et al. further conclude that H. nigrocinctus is presently known only from the Malay Archipelago, Bengal, and perhaps Bangladesh, whereas the very similar H. hendersoni is apparently endemic to Myanmar (Yangon Division).Thus, according to these authors, reports from Myanmar (Bay of Bengal) of "Disteira nigrocinctus" (Leviton et al. 2003; Kharin and Czeblukov 2009) actually refer to Hydrophis hendersoni. Of this species in Myanmar, Leviton et al. (2003) write: "Found in coastal waters and tidal streams bordering the Bay of Bengal (known only from the Bay of Bengal and adjacent coasts). Little is known about this species, but closely related snakes are diurnal and found in deep, turbid water with sandy bottoms"

Hydrophis nigrocinctus is a species of marine venomous snakes in the family Elapidae (Hydrophiinae-sea snake).