Micrurus multiscutatus
| Micrurus multiscutatus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. multiscutatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus multiscutatus Rendahl & Vestergren, 1940 | |
 | |
Micrurus multiscutatus, also known commonly as the Cauca coral snake and la coral caucana in South American Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to nothwestern South America.[2]
Description
[edit]Micrurus multiscutatus has a very high number of ventral scales, to which the specific name refers. Females may have as many as 325 ventrals, males as many as 295.[3]
M. multiscutatus is bicolored, its pattern consisting of alternating black and red rings. The rings are approximately equal in width. The red rings may be orangish and include some black-tipped dorsal scales.[3]
Medium-sized for its genus, the holotype has a total length (tail included) of 84.2 cm (33.1 in).[3]
Geographic distribution
[edit]Habitat
[edit]The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus multiscutatus is forest, at elevations of 100–1,500 m (330–4,920 ft).[1]
Behavior
[edit]Micrurus multiscutatus is terrestrial and fossorial, foraging underground and in leaf litter.[1]
Diet
[edit]Micrurus multifasciatus has been observed to prey upon caecilians.[4]
Reproduction
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Cisneros-Heredia, D.F.; Bolívar, W.; Lamar, W.; Velasco, J. (2015). "Micrurus multiscutatus ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015 e.T174106A44947559. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T174106A44947559.en. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- 1 2 3 Species Micrurus multiscutatus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- 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 multiscutatus, pp. 200–201 + Map 28 + Color 47).
- ↑ Barrera-Ocampo, Felipe; Forrester, Timothy R. (2024). "First predation record on a caecilian, Caecilia sp. (Gymnophiona: Caecilidae), by the poorly known Cauca coralsnake, Micrurus multiscutatus (Squamata: Elapidae): Primer registro de depradación sobre una caecilia, Caecilia sp. (Gymnophiona: Caecilidae) por la poca conocida coral caucana, Micrurus multiscutatus (Squamata: Elapidae)". Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetología. 7 (1): e795 (143–148). (in English and Spanish).
Further reading
[edit]- Bernal, R. (2025). Serpientes de Colombia, Guía de Campo. Bogotá: Conservación Internacional Colombia. ISBN 978-628-96909-0-3. 396 pp. (Micrurus multiscutatus, pp. 104–105). (in Spanish).
- 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. iv + 430 pp., 568 figures, 109 distribution maps, 31 tables.
- Rendahl, H.; Vestergren, G. (1940). "Notes on Colombian snakes". Arkiv för Zoologi. 33A (1): 1–16. (Micrurus multiscutatus, new species, p. 9).
- Torres-Carvajal, O.; Pazmiño-Otamendi, G.; Salazar-Valenzuela, D. (2019). "Reptiles of Ecuador: a resource-rich portal, with dynamic checklists and photographic guides". Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 13 (1): 209–229 (e178).