Micrurus diutius
| Micrurus diutius | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. diutius |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus diutius Burger, 1955 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Micrurus diutius, also known commonly as the Trinidad ribbon coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Trinidad and northern South America.
Local common names
[edit]Common names for Micrurus diutius include coral acintada trinitaria in South American Spanish and cobra coral de faixas de Trinidad in Brazilian Portuguese.[2]
Description
[edit]Large for its genus, Micrurus diutius may attain a total length (tail included) of 1 m (3.3 ft) or more. The color pattern consists of rings of red, white, and black, with the black rings in triads.[2]
Geographic distribution
[edit]Micrurus diutius is found in Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad, and Venezuela. The type locality is "Tunapuna, Trinidad".[1]
Habitat
[edit]The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus diutius is humid forest, but it has also been found in savanna and agricultural areas.[2]
Diet
[edit]Micrurus diutius preys upon a variety of poikilotherms, including fishes such as Synbranchus marmoratus; amphisbaenians such as Leposternon polystegum; lizards of the genus Bachia; snakes such as Atractus trilineatus, snakes of the genus Liophis, other coral snakes such as Micrurus circinalis, and even its own species.[2]
Reproduction
[edit]Etymology
[edit]The specific name, diutius, is Latin for "too long".[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Species Micrurus diutius at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- 1 2 3 4 Roze, J.A. (1996). Coral Snakes of the Americas. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89464-847-0. xii + 318 pp., 38 maps, 63 color photographs, 49 color pattern drawings. (Micrurus lemniscatus diutius, pp. 190–192, Figure 58).
Further reading
[edit]- Burger, W.L. (1955). "A new subspecies of the coral snake, Micrurus lemniscatus, from Venezuela, British Guiana, and Trinidad; and a key for the identification of associated species of coral snakes". Boletín del Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Caracas. 1 (2): 1–19. (Micrurus lemniscatus diutius, new subspecies).
- Freiberg, M. (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. 189 pp. (Micrurus lemniscatus diutius, p. 115).
- Jowers, M.J.; Garcia Mudarra, J.L.; Charles, S.P.; Murphy, J.C. (2019). "Phylogeography of West Indies Coral snakes (Micrurus): Island colonisation and banding patterns". Zoologica Scripta. 48 (3): 263–276.