Micrurus meridensis
| Micrurus meridensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. meridensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus meridensis Roze, 1989 | |
 | |
| Geographic distribution of Micrurus meridensis | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Micrurus meridensis, also known commonly as the Merida coral snake, the Merida pygmy coral snake, and la candelilla merideña in Venezuelan Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Venezuela.[2]
Description
Small for its genus, Micrurus meridensis may attain a total length (tail included) of 39 cm (15 in).[3]
Like many coral snakes, its color pattern consists of a combination of red, white, and black rings, with the black rings arranged in triads, in which the black rings are separated from each other by narrow white rings. The triads alternate with red rings, within which some of the dorsal scales have small black tips. Unusual for triadal coral snakes, the outer black rings of the triads are irregular, being reduced or interrupted. Also, there is an unusually high number of triads on the body, the adult male holotype having 18.[3]
Geographic distribution
Micrurus meridensis is found in the Cordillera de Mérida,[1] in the western Venezuelan state of Mérida.[2]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus meridensis is shrubland, at elevations around 900 m (3,000 ft).[1]
Behavior
Micrurus meridensis is terrestrial.[1]
Reproduction
References
- 1 2 3 4 Rivas, G.; Schargel, W. (2019). "Micrurus meridensis ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T56041167A56041184. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T56041167A56041184.en. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 Species Micrurus meridensis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- 1 2 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 meridensis, pp. 194–195 + Map 25 + Pattern 34).
Further reading
- Kornacker, P.M. (1999). Checklist and key to the snakes of Venezuela: Lista sistemática y clave para las serpientes de Venezuela. Rheinbach, Germany: PaKo-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-9806240-0-8. 270 pp. (in English and Spanish).
- Rivas, G.A.; Molina, C.R.; Ugueto, G.N.; Barros, T.R.; Barrio-Amorós, C.L.; Kok, P.J.R. (2012). "Reptiles of Venezuela: an updated and commented checklist". Zootaxa. 3211: 1–64. (in English, with an abstract in Spanish).
- Roze, J.A. (1989). "New Species and Subspecies of Coral Snakes, Genus Micrurus (Elapidae), with Notes on Type Specimens of Several Species". American Museum Novitates (2932): 1–15. (Micrurus dissoleucus meridensis, new subspecies, pp. 5–7, Figures 2–3). (in English, with an abstract in Spanish).
- Roze, J.A. (1994). "Notes on Taxonomy of Venomous Coral Snakes (Elapidae) of South America". Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society. 30 (4): 177–185. (Micrurus meridensis, full species status, p. 180).