Micrurus steindachneri
| Micrurus steindachneri | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. steindachneri |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus steindachneri (F. Werner, 1901) | |
 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Micrurus steindachneri, also known commonly as the piedmont coral snake, Steindachner's coral snake, and coral de laderas in South American Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to northwestern South America. There are two recognized subspecies.[2]
Description
[edit]Micrurus steindachneri is medium-sized for its genus. Adults usually have a total length (tail included) of 55–70 cm (22–28 in). The maximum recorded total length is 88 cm (35 in).[3]
Like many other species of New World coral snakes the color pattern of M. steindachneri consists of red, white, and black rings. The black rings are not arranged in triads, but rather are single. The red rings are 3–4 dorsals and 3–4 ventrals wide, the white rings are one dorsal and one ventral wide, and the black rings are 3–7 dorsals and 2–4 ventrals wide. Males have 28–34 black rings on the body, and females have 30–42 black rings on the body.[3]
Males have 200–216 ventrals and 42–49 subcaudals, and lack supraanal tubercles. Females have 224–231 ventrals and 29–38 subcaudals.[3]
Geographic distribution
[edit]Micrurus steindachneri is found on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador and extreme northern Peru.[1][2]
Habitat
[edit]The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus steindachneri is forest, at elevations of 500–2,000 m (1,600–6,600 ft).[1]
Behavior
[edit]Micrurus steindachneri is terrestrial, fossorial, and diurnal.[1]
Reproduction
[edit]Subspecies
[edit]Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2][3]
- Micrurus steindachneri orcesi Roze, 1967 – Río Pastaza watershed in Ecuador
- Micrurus steindachneri steindachneri (F. Werner, 1901) – Río Santiago watershed in Ecuador and Peru
Etymology
[edit]The specific name, steindachneri, is in honor of Viennese herpetologist Franz Steindachner.[4]: 252
The subspecific name, orcesi, is in honor of Ecuadorian herpetologist Gustavo Orcés.[4]: 195
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Valencia, J.; Sánchez, J. (2017). "Micrurus steindachneri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T50951888A50951937. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T50951888A50951937.en. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Micrurus steindachneri ". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 Roze, J.A. (1996). Coral Snakes of the Americas. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89464-847-0. xii + 328 pp., 38 maps, 63 color photographs, 49 color pattern drawings. (Micrurus steindachneri, pp. 219–220 + Map 37 + Pattern 46).
- 1 2 Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. xiii + 296. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.
Further reading
[edit]- Campbell, J.A.; Lamar, W.W. (1989). 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.
- Freiberg, M. (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. 189 pp. (Micrurus steindachneri steindachneri, p. 116; Micrurus steindachneri orcesi, p. 117).
- Roze, J.A. (1967). "A Check List of the New World Venomous Coral Snakes (Elapidae), with Descriptions of New Forms". American Museum Novitates (2287): 1–60. (Micrurus steindachneri orcesi, new subspecies, pp. 43–45, Figure 15).
- Torres-Carvajal, O.; Pazmiño-Otamendi, G.; Salazar-Valenzuela, D. (2019). "Reptiles of Ecuador: a resource-rich online portal, with dynamic checklists and photographic guides". Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 13 (1): 209–219 (e178).
- Werner, F. (1901). "Ueber Reptilien und Batrachier aus Ecuador und Neu-Guinea". Verhandlungen der kaiserlich-königlichen zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 51: 593–614. (Elaps steindachneri, new species, p. 599). (in German).
- Werner, F. (1927). "Neue oder wenig bekannte Schlangen aus dem Wiener naturhistorischen staatsmuseum (III. Teil)". Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien. 143: 243–257. (Elaps fasslii, new species, pp. 249–250). (in German).