Micrurus hippocrepis
| Micrurus hippocrepis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. hippocrepis |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus hippocrepis (W. Peters, 1861) | |
 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Micrurus hippocrepis, also known commonly as the Belize coral snake, the Mayan coral snake, and coralillo de Belize in Central American Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Central America.[2] There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.[3]
Description
[edit]Medium-sized for the genus Micrurus, adults of Micrurus hippocrepis usually have a total length (tail included) of 47–65 cm (19–26 in), and the longest recorded total length is 71 cm (28 in).[4]
Like most coral snakes the color pattern consists of red, black, and yellow rings. The red rings are extremely wide. The black rings are narrow and not arranged in triads. The yellow rings, which separate the red from the black, are the narrowest.[4]
Geographic distribution
[edit]Habitat
[edit]The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus hippocrepis is forest, at elevations of 50–600 m (160–1,970 ft).[1]
Behavior
[edit]Micrurus hippocrepis is terrestrial and semifossorial.[1]
Diet
[edit]Micrurus hippocrepis preys upon small snakes of the family Colubridae, especially Ninia sebae.[4]
Reproduction
[edit]Etymology
[edit]The specific name hippocrepis, Greek for "horseshoe", refers to a marking on the snake's head which may resemble a horseshoe.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Acevedo, M.; Ariano-Sánchez, D.; Johnson, J. (2013). "Micrurus hippocrepis ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013 e.T203626A2769214. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T203626A2769214.en. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Species Micrurus hippocrepis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ "Micrurus hippocrepis ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- 1 2 3 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 hippocrepis, pp. 182–183 + Map 22 + Color 33).
Further reading
[edit]- Campbell, J.A. (1998). Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Guatemala, the Yucatán, and Belize. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0806130668. xii + 380 pp.
- Campbell, J.A.; Lamar, W.W. (1989). The Venomous Reptiles of Latin America. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0801420597. xiv + 430 pp., 568 figures, 109 distribution maps, 31 tables.
- Lee, J.C. (2000). A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Maya World: The Lowlands of Mexico, Northern Guatemala and Belize. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-8587-9. 416 pp. (Micrurus hippocrepis, p. 358).
- Peters, W. (1861). "Über neue Schlangen des Königl. zoologischen Museums: Typhlops striolatus, Geophidium dubium, Strptophorus (Ninia) maculatus, Elaps hippocrepis". Monatsberichte der Königlichen pressischen Akademie der Wissenscaften zu Berlin. 1861: 922–925. (Elaps hippocrepis, new species, p. 925). (in German).
- Schmidt, K.P. (1936). "Notes on Central American and Mexican Coral Snakes". Zoological Series of Field Museum of Natural History. 20 (20): 205–216. (Micrurus affinis hippocrepis, p. 214).