Marine elapid snakes are a diverse, predominantly Indo‐West Pacific species group. The persistent removal of some species has an unquantified but potentially dire impact on populations. We conducted the first comprehensive review of the trade in marine elapid snakes based on published literature (1974–2022) and trade data from the only species (i.e., Hydrophis [ Lapemis ] curtus ) whose trade is monitored internationally. Some...

Over the past decade, vertebrate populations globally have experienced significant declines in distribution and abundance. Understanding the reasons behind these population declines is the first step in implementing appropriate management responses to improve conservation outcomes. Uncovering drivers of extirpation events after the fact, however, requires a careful forensic approach to prevent similar declines elsewhere. The o...

Aim There are several competing hypotheses to explain the high species richness of the Indo‐Australian Archipelago ( IAA ) marine biodiversity hotspot centred within Southeast (SE) Asia. We use phylogenetic methods to provide a novel perspective on this problem using viviparous sea snakes, a group with high species richness in the IAA that is highly distinct from other taxa previously studied, both phylogenetically (Reptilia,...

The viviparous sea snakes ( H ydrophiinae) are a young radiation of at least 62 species that display spectacular morphological diversity and high levels of local sympatry. To shed light on the mechanisms underlying sea snake diversification, we investigated recent speciation and eco‐morphological differentiation in a clade of four nominal species with overlapping ranges in Southeast Asia and Australia. Analyses of morphology a...