Genus/Species
Species
- 1. Micrurus albicinctus
- 2. Micrurus alleni
- 3. Micrurus altirostris
- 4. Micrurus ancoralis
- 5. Micrurus annellatus
- 6. Micrurus averyi
- 7. Micrurus baliocoryphus
- 8. Micrurus bernadi
- 9. Micrurus bocourti
- 10. Micrurus bogerti
- 11. Micrurus brasiliensis
- 12. Micrurus browni
- 13. Micrurus camilae
- 14. Micrurus catamayensis
- 15. Micrurus circinalis
- 16. Micrurus clarki
- 17. Micrurus corallinus
- 18. Micrurus decoratus
- 19. Micrurus diana
- 20. Micrurus diastema
- 21. Micrurus dissoleucus
- 22. Micrurus distans
- 23. Micrurus dumerilii
- 24. Micrurus ehippifer
- 25. Micrurus elegans
- 26. Micrurus filiformis
- 27. Micrurus frontalis
- 28. Micrurus frontifasciatus
- 29. Micrurus fulvius
- 30. Micrurus hemprichii
- 31. Micrurus hippocrepis
- 32. Micrurus ibiboboca
- 33. Micrurus isozonus
- 34. Micrurus langsdorffi
- 35. Micrurus laticollaris
- 36. Micrurus latifasciatus
- 37. Micrurus lemniscatus
- 38. Micrurus limbatus
- 39. Micrurus margaritiferus
- 40. Micrurus medemi
- 41. Micrurus meridensis
- 42. Micrurus mertensi
- 43. Micrurus mipartitus
- 44. Micrurus multifasciatus
- 45. Micrurus multiscutatus
- 46. Micrurus nebularis
- 47. Micrurus nigrocinctus
- 48. Micrurus oligoannellatus
- 49. Micrurus ornatissimus
- 50. Micrurus pacaraimae
- 51. Micrurus pachecogili
- 52. Micrurus paraensis
- 53. Micrurus peruvianus
- 54. Micrurus petersi
- 55. Micrurus proximans
- 56. Micrurus psyches
- 57. Micrurus putumayensis
- 58. Micrurus pyrrhocryptus
- 59. Micrurus remotus
- 60. Micrurus ruatanus
- 61. Micrurus sangilensis
- 62. Micrurus serranus
- 63. Micrurus silviae
- 64. Micrurus spixii
- 65. Micrurus spurrelli
- 66. Micrurus steindachneri
- 67. Micrurus stewarti
- 68. Micrurus stuarti
- 69. Micrurus surinamensis
- 70. Micrurus tamaulipensis
- 71. Micrurus tener
- 72. Micrurus tricolor
- 73. Micrurus tschudii
Taxonomy
Common names
Coral snakes, Cobra corals, Corals, Korallenottern
- 1. White-ringed coral snake
- 2. Allen's coral snake
- 3. Uruguayan coral snake
- 4. Regal coral snake
- 5. Annellated coral snake
- 6. Black-headed coral snake
- 7. Mesopotamian coral snake
- 8. Blotched coral snake
- 9. Ecuadorian coral snake
- 10. Bogert's coral snake
- 11. Brazilian coral snake
- 12. Brown's coral snake
- 14. Catamayo coral snake
- 15. Trinidad coral snake
- 16. Clark's coral snake
- 17. Painted coral snake
- 18. Decorated coral snake
- 19. Diana's coral snake
- 20. Variable coral snake
- 21. Pygmy coral snake
- 22. West Mexican coral snake
- 23. Dumeril's coral snake
- 24. Oaxacan coral snake
- 25. Elegant coral snake
- 26. Slender coral snake
- 27. Cerrado coral snake
- 28. Bolivian coral snake
- 29. Harlequin coral snake, Harlekin-Korallenotter
- 30. Hemprich's coral snake
- 31. Mayan coral snake
- 32. Ibiboboca, Caatinga coral snake
- 33. Venezuelan coral snake
- 34. Langsdorff's coral snake
- 35. Balsan coral snake
- 36. Long-ringed coral snake
- 37. Ibiboboca, South American coral snake
- 38. Tuxtlan coral snake
- 39. Speckled coral snake
- 40. Medem's coral snake
- 41. Merida pygmy coral snake
- 42. Mertens' coral snake
- 43. Red-tailed coral snake
- 44. Many-banded coral snake
- 45. Cauca coral snake
- 46. Ixtlan coral snake
- 47. Central American coral snake
- 48. Tambo coral snake
- 49. Ornate coral snake
- 51. Zapotitlan coral snake
- 52. Para coral snake
- 53. Peruvian coral snake
- 54. Peter's coral snake
- 55. Nayarit coral snake
- 56. Daudin's coral snake
- 57. Putumayo coral snake
- 58. Argentinian coral snake
- 59. Neblina coral snake
- 60. Roatan coral snake
- 61. Santander coral snake
- 62. Bolivian coral snake
- 64. Amazonian coral snake
- 65. Colombian coral snake
- 66. Steindachner's coral snake
- 67. Panamanian coral snake
- 68. Stuart's coral snake
- 69. Aquatic coral snake
- 71. Texas coral snake
- 73. Desert coral snake
Fig. 4.56 Micrurus fulvius.
Distribution
Southern USA, Mexico, Central America and South America. See link "Distribution" at the top of the page for detailed information.
Map 27 Micrurus spp., Leptomicrurus spp. and Microruides euryxanthus.
Biology
Coral snakes are the only elapids found on the American continents. While some species have uniform colouring or simple banding, most coral snakes possess a characteristic warning colouring consisting of black, red and yellow cross bands. A number of harmless or only weakly venomous American colubrids have deceptively similar colour patterns (Lampropeltis sp., Pliocercus sp., Chionactis sp. and Chilomeniscus sp.). In the USA, coral snakes differ from harmless colubrids with similar colouring; in coral snakes the red and yellow (or beige, or white) rings are adjacent (see Fig. 4.56 above), whereas in colubrids the red and black rings are adjacent.
Slender body with a small head hardly distinct from the body. Length usually under 1 m, although some can be up to 1.5 m or longer (M. spixii, M. ancoralis, M. isozonus, M. lemniscatus). The venom fangs are small and tapering, such that in some circumstances they will not even puncture human skin during a bite.
Coral snakes are ground-dwelling, and mostly nocturnal, although some are also regularly seen in the daytime. The vast majority of species live in mesic to dry forests, from sea level up to altitudes of over 2,000 m in some cases; M. fulvius, M. frontalis and Micruroides euryxanthus tend to live in stony and sandy arid areas. Some species (in particular M. mipartitus and M. spixii) are regularly found close to human settlements (often close to coffee plantations). Most species feed on smaller snakes.
When threatened, the end of the tail is raised in the air and moved back and forth, while the head is usually kept as inconspicuous as possible or even hidden under the coils of the body. They do not bite readily.
Risk
Although coral snakes possess potent neurotoxic venoms, envenoming occurs only rarely, due to their non-aggressive behaviour, their seclusive way of life and their small venom fangs. In the USA they are responsible for fewer than 2% of all snakebites (Van Mierop 1976).
In Latin America as well, the epidemiological significance of coral snakes is becoming smaller and smaller (Jutzy et al. 1953, Ambrose 1956, Sass 1979, Kerrigan 1991). The incidence of coral snake bites in Brazil is estimated to comprise 0.7% of all snakebites, with mortality of 0.7% (Bucaretchi 1990).
Literature (biological)
Campbell and Lamar 1989, 2004, Chippaux 1986, Da Silva and Sites 1999, Di-Bernardo et al. 2007, Lancini 1986, Lavin-Murcio and Dixon 2004, Morata de Carvalho 2002, Pérez-Santos and Moreno 1988, Renjifo and Lundberg 2003, Roze 1974, 1982, Russell 1983, Villa 1984, O'Shea 2005