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  1. Terrestrial snakes
  2. The Far East
  3. Biomedical Database
  4. Elapids
  5. Biological entry: Calliophis spp.

Animal: Calliophis spp., Oriental coral snakes

Species

  1. Calliophis beddomei
  2. Calliophis bibroni
  3. Calliophis bilineatus
  4. Calliophis bivirgatus
  5. Calliophis castoe
  6. Calliophis gracilis
  7. Calliophis haematoetron
  8. Calliophis intestinalis
  9. Calliophis maculiceps
  10. Calliophis melanurus
  11. Calliophis nigrescens
  12. Calliophis nigrotaeniatus
  13. Calliophis philippinus
  14. Calliophis salitan
  15. Calliophis suluensis

In accordance with Slowinski et al. (2001), the former genus Maticora (with the two species M. bivirgata and M. intestinalis) is integrated into the genus Calliophis. The new genera Sinomicrurus and Hemibungarus (the latter consisting of the single species H. calligaster, formerly Calliophis calligaster) are now termed "Asian coral snakes".

Taxonomy

Serpentes; Elapidae; Elapinae

Common names

Oriental coral snakes, Schmuckottern

  1. Bibron's coral snake
  2. Two striped coral snake
  3. Blue Malaysian coral snake, Blaue Bauchdrüsenotter
  4. Castoe's coral snake
  5. Gray coral snake, Spotted coral snake
  6. Blood-bellied coral snake
  7. Banded Malaysian coral snake, Striped coral snake, Gestreifte Bauchdrüsenotter
  8. Speckled coral snake, Small spotted coral snake
  9. Indian coral snake
  10. Black coral snake
  11. Banded Malaysian coral snake, Striped coral snake, Gestreifte Bauchdrüsenotter
  12. Philippine banded coral snake
  13. Dinagat Island banded coral snake
  14. Sulu Islands abnded coral snake

Distribution

See link "Distribution" at the top of the page for detailed information.

Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Calliophis spp.

Biology

Slender body with a small head. Frequently conspicuous, contrasting colouring. Some species reach 1 m (eg. C. salitan), but most not much more than 50 cm. C. intestinalis 30 cm, C. bivirgatus up to 1.5 m.

Nocturnal, forest-dwelling snakes that rarely come into contact with humans. C. intestinalis sometimes also found in open regions and cultivated areas. They are not aggressive when encountered. Appearance and colouring of C. bivirgata strikingly similar to Bungarus flaviceps. A peculiarity of these latter two species is that they possess excessively large venom glands that extend into the body.

Risk

Bites from these snakes are evidently rare. However, they are still considered potentially dangerous.

A fatal outcome in Malaysia shortly after the bite caused by Maticora bivirgata (=Calliophis bivirgatus) is reported in a child (Harrison 1957). Another, non fatal case, showing signs of systemic envenoming (dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and dyspnoea) in Indonesia after a bite of Maticora intestinalis (=C. intestinalis, Jakobson 1937). In both cases the culprit has been morphologically identified.

A bite caused by Calliophis melanurus sinhaleyus (Maduwage et al., 2021)  showed local symptoms only (pain, oedema, paresthesia).

Local pain and swelling after bites by Maticora intestinalis (=Calliophis intestinalis) are reported (Jacobson 1937, Malkmus and Sauer 1993).

Literature (biological)

Castoe et al. 2007, Cox 1991, Daniel 1983, Doras 1978, De Silva 1990, Deuve 1970, Leviton et al. 2018, Fukuyama et al. 2020, Liat 1990, Saint Girons 1972, Slowinski et al. 2001, Smith et al. 2008, Tweedie 1983, Withaker and Captain 2008, Zhao 1990

The Reptile Database

RepFocus