Diversification dynamics in viviparous sea snakes

This talk will synthesise macro- and micro-evolutionary and developmental studies of sea snake diversification. Relative to terrestrial elapids and other sea snakes, Hydrophis are inferred to have threefold higher rates of speciation and are characterised by wide geographic distributions, with strong geographic genetic structure among-regions but high population connectively at a finer (regional) scale.
Morphological shifts linked to dietary specialisations might promote divergence at the population level, and manifest as elevated rates of skull and body shape change at the macroevolutionary level. Especially prolific, and unique to Hydrophis-Microcephalophis, are convergent ecomorphs that specialise on burrowing eel prey, and have tiny heads and narrow fore-bodies that develop via changes in segmentation during embryogenesis and modifications to postnatal growth.