Disteira is a genus of sea snakes.

History

Disteira was characterized by Boulenger in 1890 as having grooved maxillary teeth

Snake skeleton

A snake skeleton consists primarily of the skull, vertebrae, and ribs, with only vestigial remnants of the limbs.-Skull:The skull of a snake is a very complex structure, with numerous joints to allow the snake to swallow prey far larger than its head....

 following the first pair of poison fangs. However, later dental examination under more powerful magnification found all sea snakes have grooves in their teeth, some deep and wide channels visible to the naked eye, others only at the base of the tooth and requiring magnification to observe. In light of those new findings, Disteira and Hydrophis

Hydrophis

Hydrophis is a genus of sea snakes. They are typically found in Indoaustralian and Southeast Asian waters. Currently, 34 species are recognized.-Systematics and classification:There are 34 recognized species in the genus Hydrophis....

were merged until McDowell resurrected Disteira as a separate genus in 1972 to accommodate new species. He redefined Disteira as possessing a broad dorsal

Dorsum (biology)

In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run, fly, or swim in a horizontal position, and the back side of animals that walk upright. In vertebrates the dorsum contains the backbone. The term dorsal refers to anatomical structures that are either situated toward or grow...

 portion of the venom gland muscle called the Oxyuranus pattern.

Although McDowell rolled the monotypic genera Astrotia - which contains only Stoke's seasnake

Astrotia stokesii

Commonly known as Stokes' seasnake, Astrotia stokesii is a large species of sea snake found in tropical Indo-Pacific oceanic waters.-Description:...

- into Disteira, that classification is not widely adopted.