Micrurus langsdorffi
| Micrurus langsdorffi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Foraging in leaf litter near Iquitos, Peru | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. langsdorffi |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus langsdorffi (Wagler, 1824) | |
 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Micrurus langsdorffi, also known commonly as the confused coral snake and Langsdorff's coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to northwestern South America.[2]
Local common names
[edit]Local common names for Micrurus langsdorffi include cobra coral confusa in Brazilian Portuguese, and coral confundida in South American Spanish.[3]
Etymology
[edit]The specific name, langsdorfii, is in honor of German naturalist Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff.[4]
Description
[edit]Medium-sized for the genus Micrurus, adults of Micrurus langsdorffi usually have a total length (tail included) of 45–60 cm (18–24 in). The maximum recorded total length is 77 cm (30 in).[3]
The color pattern of M. langsdorffi is very variable. It is basically a combination of red, white (or yellow), and black rings, arranged singly (not in triads). However, some of the colors may be missing or replaced by brown or gray. Also, the black rings may not extend across the ventral scales, and the white rings may be reduced to a series of pearl-like dots.[3]
Geographic range
[edit]Micrurus langsdorffi is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.[2]
Habitat
[edit]The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus langsdorffi is forest, at altitudes of 80–450 m (260–1,480 ft).[1]
Behavior
[edit]Micrurus langsdorffi is primarily terrestrial, but it has been observed swimming across rivers.[1]
Diet
[edit]Micrurus langsdorffi preys predominately upon snakes (ophiophagy). Prey items include blind snakes such as Amerotyphlops reticulatus and species of the subfamily Epictinae, as well as species of the family Colubridae.[3]
Reproduction
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Martins, M.R.C.; Valencia, J.; Catenazzi, A.; Gagliardi, G.; Nogueira, C. de C.; Cisneros-Heredia, D.F.; Renjifo, J. (2019). "Micrurus langsdorffi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T177513A44951395. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T177513A44951395.en. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 Species Micrurus langsdorffi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- 1 2 3 4 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 langsdorffi, pp. 185–186 + Map 19 + Color 36–37).
- ↑ Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Micrurus langsdorffi, p. 150).
Further reading
[edit]- Amaral, A. (1935). "Estudos sobre ophidios neotropicos XXXIII. Novas especies de ophidios da Colombia". Memorias do Instituto Butantan. 9: 219–223. (Micrurus mimosus, new species, pp. 221–222). (in Portuguese).
- Boulenger, G.A. (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), Amblycephalidæ, and Viperidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. ("Elaps langsdorffii [sic]", p. 416).
- 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.
- Cope, E.D. (1868). "An Examination of the REPTILIA and BATRACHIA obtained by the Orton Expedition to Equador [sic] and the Upper Amazon, with notes on other Species". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 20: 96–140. (Elaps imperator, new species, p. 110).
- Freiberg, M. (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Micrurus langsdorffi, p. 115).
- Günther, A. (1868). "Sixth Account of new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Fourth Series. 1: 413–429. + Plates XVII–XIX. (Elaps batesi, new species, p. 428 + Plate XVII, figure D).
- Roze, J. (1967). "A Checklist of the New World Venomous Coral Snakes (Elapidae), with Descriptions of New Forms". American Museum Novitates (2287): 1–60. (Micrurus langsdorffi, p. 30).
- Wagler, J. (1824). Serpentum Brasiliensum species novae ou histoire naturelle des espèces nouvelles de serpens, recueillies et observées pendant le voyage dans l'intérieur du Brésil dans les années 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, exécuté par ordre de sa Majesté le Roi de Baviére. Munich: F.S. Hübschmann. viii + 75 pp. + Plates I–XXVI. (Elaps langsdorffi, new species, pp. 10–12 + Plate II, figure 1). (in Latin and French).