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Micrurus corallinus

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Micrurus corallinus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Micrurus
Species:
M. corallinus
Binomial name
Micrurus corallinus
(Merrem, 1820)
Synonyms[2]
  • Elaps corallinus
    Merrem, 1820

Micrurus corallinus, also known commonly as the painted coral snake, is a species of highly venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to eastern South America (Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay).[1][2][3] There are no recognized subspecies.[2]

Common names

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Local common names for Micrurus corallinus include cobra coral pintada,[2] mboi-chumbe, vibora de coral, boicora, bocora, coral-verdadeira, ibiboboca, and mboi-yvyvovo.[3]

Description and behavior

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The painted coral snake is a medium-sized tri-colored snake which can grow to a total length (tail included) of 98 cm (39 in), but most are closer to 65–85 cm (26–33 in).[3]

It is a snake with nocturnal habits found on the coastlines, in leaf litter, and under logs and stones. Its diet is based on caecilians, amphisbaenids, lizards (including gymnophthalmids), other snakes (including colubrids).[4][5]

The head color is black with a white or yellow band on the posterior portion of the parietals. This band narrows strongly mid-dorsally. The body has wide red rings that are separated by a series of 15–27 (usually 17–21) narrower black rings with white borders. The tail has 3–8 alternating black and yellow rings.[3] It has a slim body, with a moderately short tail in males, and a very short tail in females. The head is round, small, and little distinct from the neck. The eyes are slightly small, with round pupils. It has smooth and shiny dorsal scales, without apical pits. The supra-anal keels are absent in males.[6]

Geographic distribution and habitat

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In South America Micrurus corallinus is found in Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, Bahia, Santa Catarina, Espírito Santo), northeastern Argentina (Misiones), and Paraguay. It is mainly found in the Amazon basin in tropical deciduous and evergreen forest at elevations ranging from sea level to 500 m (1,600 ft).[3]

Reproduction

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Micrurus corallinus is oviparous, with adult females laying up to 15 eggs.[3]

Venom

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Micrurus corallinus is not aggressive towards humans. The group of coral snakes represents only 1% of accidents in Central and South America, however the venom produced by them is highly potent, with neurotoxic action, causing neuromuscular block, which results in death from respiratory arrest, resulting from paralysis of the respiratory muscles. The LD50 for a 5–27 grams mouse is 0.007 mg.[7][8] 0.2 mg/kg (intramuscular injection), 0.09 mg/kg (intraperitoneal) and 0.04 mg/kg (intravenous).

The venom of this species is a compound of the three-finger toxin families, Phospholipase A2, L-amino acid oxidase, True venom lectin, SVMP (snake venom metalloproteinase), Kunitz-type inhibitor (Venom Kunitz-type), NGF (NGF -beta) and Waprin.[9] The amount of venom extracted from this species is 3 mg.[10] The venom of this species has presynaptic activity.[11] M. corallinus has alpha-neurotoxins with pre-synaptic activity that causes a high and spontaneous release of acetylcholine associated with the postsynaptic block of the electrical transmission between the nerve and the muscle.[12]

When live specimens of M. corallinus were "milked" in a laboratory, the average venom yield was 10–12 mg, which is approximately twice the estimated lethal dose of 6–8 mg for an adult human. The maximum venom yield was 65 mg, which is enough to kill 5-6 people.[13]

References

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  1. 1 2 Cacciali, P.; Carreira, S.; Fitzgerald, L.; Giraudo, A.; Kacoliris, F.; Montero, R.; Scott, N. (2019). "Micrurus corallinus ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T56040806A56040867. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T56040806A56040867.en. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Micrurus corallinus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 9 February 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Living Hazards Database (LHD) – Search by Scientific Name" (PDF). Living Hazards Database (LHD).
  4. ↑ "Micrurus corallinus – Coral e Peçonhenta| Animais – Cultura Mix ". animais.culturamix.com. Retrieved 2020-09-30. (in Portuguese).
  5. ↑ Serapicos, Eliana de Oliveira; Merusse, José Luiz Bernardino (December 2002). "Análise comparativa entre tipos de alimentação de Micrurus corallinus (Serpentes, Elapidae) em cativeiro". Iheringia. Série Zoologia (in Portuguese). 92 (4): 99–103. doi:10.1590/S0073-47212002000400012.
  6. ↑ "WCH Clinical Toxinology Resources". www.toxinology.com. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  7. ↑ Tanaka, Gabriela D.; Furtado, Maria de Fátima D.; Portaro, Fernanda C. V.; Sant'Anna, Osvaldo Augusto; Tambourgi, Denise V. (2010). "Diversity of Micrurus snake species related to their venom toxic effects and the prospective of antivenom neutralization". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 4 (3): e622 [Table 1]. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000622. PMC 2834742. PMID 20231886.
  8. ↑ Sant'Ana Malaque, Ceila Maria; Gutiérrez, José María (2016), "Snakebite Envenomation in Central and South America", in Brent, Jeffrey; Burkhart, Keith; Dargan, Paul; Hatten, Benjamin (eds.), Critical Care Toxicology, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 1–22, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-20790-2_146-1, ISBN 978-3-319-20790-2
  9. ↑ "Micrurus corallinus – VenomZone page". venomzone.expasy.org. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  10. ↑ de Castro, Karen Larissa Pereira; Lopes-de-Souza, Letícia; de Oliveira, Daysiane; Machado-de-Ávila, Ricardo Andrez; Paiva, Ana Luiza Bittencourt; de Freitas, Cláudio F.; Ho, Paulo Lee; Chávez-Olórtegui, Carlos; Guerra-Duarte, Clara (2019). "A Combined Strategy to Improve the Development of a Coral Antivenom Against Micrurus spp". Frontiers in Immunology. 10: 2422. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2019.02422. PMC 6816313. PMID 31695693.
  11. ↑ Seligman, Renato (1993). "Acidente por Micrurus frontalis: primeiro relato de envenenamento elapídico no Rio Grande do Sul " (PDF). Memórias do Instituto de Butantan (in Portuguese). 55 (2): 65–68.
  12. ↑ Silva, Alvaro Rossan de Brandão Prieto da (2002). Clonagem, expressão e estudo de alguns cDNAs codificando proteínas estruturalmente relacionadas às alfa neurotoxinas da glândula de veneno da cobra coral Micrurus corallinus (Serpentes, Elapidae) (PDF) (Doctoral thesis). Universidade de São Paulo. doi:10.11606/T.46.2002.tde-17072002-213926. (in Portuguese).
  13. ↑ Roze, J.A. (1996), p. 102, Table 7.

Further reading

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  • Freiberg, M. (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. 189 pp. (Micrurus corallinus, pp. 114, 144 + color photographs on inside front cover & p. 183).
  • Merrem, B. (1820). Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien: Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum. Marburg: J.C. Krieger. xv + 191 pp. + one unnumbered plate. (Elaps corallinus, new species, pp. 144–145). (in German and Latin).
  • Roze, J.A. (1996). Coral Snakes of the Americas: Biology, Identification, and Venoms. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89464-847-0. xii + 328 pp., 38 maps, 63 color photographs, 49 color pattern drawings. (Micrurus corallinus, pp. 150–151 + Map 11 + Color 13).
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  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Micrurus corallinus at Wikimedia Commons
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