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  1. Terrestrial snakes
  2. South America and the West Indies
  3. Biomedical Database
  4. Elapids
  5. Biological entry: Micrurus spp.

Animal: Micrurus spp., Coral snakes

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 boicora
  12. Micrurus brasiliensis
  13. Micrurus browni
  14. Micrurus camilae
  15. Micrurus catamayensis
  16. Micrurus circinalis
  17. Micrurus clarki
  18. Micrurus corallinus
  19. Micrurus decoratus
  20. Micrurus diana
  21. Micrurus diastema
  22. Micrurus dissoleucus
  23. Micrurus distans
  24. Micrurus diutius
  25. Micrurus dumerilii
  26. Micrurus elegans
  27. Micrurus ephippifer
  28. Micrurus filiformis
  29. Micrurus frontalis
  30. Micrurus frontifasciatus
  31. Micrurus fulvius
  32. Micrurus hemprichii
  33. Micrurus hippocrepis
  34. Micrurus ibiboboca
  35. Micrurus isozonus
  36. Micrurus janisrozei
  37. Micrurus langsdorffi
  38. Micrurus laticollaris
  39. Micrurus latifasciatus
  40. Micrurus lemniscatus
  41. Micrurus limbatus
  42. Micrurus margaritiferus
  43. Micrurus medemi
  44. Micrurus meridensis
  45. Micrurus mertensi
  46. Micrurus mipartitus
  47. Micrurus mosquitensis
  48. Micrurus multifasciatus
  49. Micrurus multiscutatus
  50. Micrurus nattereri
  51. Micrurus nebularis
  52. Micrurus nigrocinctus
  53. Micrurus obscurus
  54. Micrurus oligoannellatus
  55. Micrurus ornatissimus
  56. Micrurus ortonii
  57. Micrurus pacaraimae
  58. Micrurus pachecogili
  59. Micrurus paraensis
  60. Micrurus peruvianus
  61. Micrurus petersi
  62. Micrurus potyguara
  63. Micrurus proximans
  64. Micrurus psyches
  65. Micrurus putumayensis
  66. Micrurus pyrrhocryptus
  67. Micrurus remotus
  68. Micrurus ruatanus
  69. Micrurus sangilensis
  70. Micrurus serranus
  71. Micrurus silviae
  72. Micrurus spixii
  73. Micrurus spurrelli
  74. Micrurus steindachneri
  75. Micrurus stewarti
  76. Micrurus stuarti
  77. Micrurus surinamensis
  78. Micrurus tamaulipensis
  79. Micrurus tener
  80. Micrurus tikuna
  81. Micrurus tschudii

Slowinski (1995) integrates the genus Leptomicrurus (Slender coral snakes: L. collaris, L. narducci, L. renjifoi and L. scutiventris) into the genus Micrurus (new species:Micrurus collaris, Micrurus narducci, Micrurus renjifoi and Micrurus scutiventris) -> see Leptomicrurus spp.

M. hemprichii is splitt into three species: M. hemprichii, M. boicora and M. ortonii (Bernarde et al. 2018).

M. nigrocinctus mosquitensis is declared as new species: M. mosquitensis

M. pyrrhocryptus tricolor is seen as a separate species by Da Silva and Sites (1999): M. tricolor

Taxonomy

Serpentes; Elapidae; Elapinae

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
  13. Catamayo coral snake
  14. Trinidad coral snake
  15. Clark's coral snake
  16. Painted coral snake
  17. Decorated coral snake
  18. Diana's coral snake
  19. Variable coral snake
  20. Pygmy coral snake
  21. West Mexican coral snake
  22. Trinidad coral snake, Coral Acintada Trinitaria
  23. Dumeril's coral snake
  24. Elegant coral snake
  25. Oaxacan coral snake
  26. Slender coral snake
  27. Cerrado coral snake
  28. Bolivian triad 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. Natterer's coral snake
  47. Ixtlan coral snake
  48. Central American coral snake
  49. Bolivian coral snake
  50. Tambo coral snake
  51. Ornate coral snake
  52. Zapotitlan coral snake
  53. Para coral snake
  54. Peruvian coral snake
  55. Peter's coral snake
  56. Nayarit coral snake
  57. Daudin's coral snake
  58. Putumayo coral snake
  59. Argentinian coral snake
  60. Neblina coral snake
  61. Roatan coral snake
  62. Santander coral snake
  63. 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
  70. Texas coral snake
  71. Desert coral snake

Micrurus fulvius

Distribution

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

Southern USA, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Micrurus spp.

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)

Bernarde et al. 2018, 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, Nascimento et al. 2024, O'Shea 2005, Pérez-Santos and Moreno 1988, Renjifo and Lundberg 2003, Roze 1974, 1982, Russell 1983, Slovinski 1995, Villa 1984, Wallach et al. 2014

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