The species, which is sometimes placed in its own genus Kolpophis, is native to parts of the Indian Ocean.

The specific name, annandalei, is in honor of Scottish herpetologist Nelson Annandale.

[3] H. annandalei is found in the Indian Ocean, in waters off Indonesia (Borneo, Java), western Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, and southern Vietnam.

[1][2] The preferred natural habitats of H. annandalei are shallow muddy coastal waters.

However, K. annandalei can be identified by its high number of dorsal scale rows, 74–93 at midbody.