Micrurus langsdorffi (WAGLER, 1824)
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Micrurus langsdorffi?
Micrurus langsdorffi
Find more photos by Google images search: 
| Higher Taxa | Elapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Confused coral snake, Langsdorff's Coral Snake Portuguese: Cobra-Coral, Cobra-Coral-Amarela, Cobra-Coral-Amarela-e-Vermelha, Cobra-Coral-Vermelha, Coral-Verdadeira |
| Synonym | Elaps langsdorffi WAGLER 1824: 10 Elaps imperator COPE 1868: 110 Elaps batesi GÜNTHER 1868: 428 Micrurus mimosus AMARAL 1935: 221 Micrurus mimosus AMARAL 1937: 1765 Micrurus langsdorffi langsdorffi — ROZE 1967: 30 Micrurus langsdorffi langsdorffi — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 211 Micrurus langsdorffi langsdorffi — DUELLMAN 1978: 260 Micrurus langsdorffi langsdorffi — WELCH 1994: 85 Micrurus langsdorffi — CARVALHO 2002 Micrurus langsdorffi — WALLACH et al. 2014: 448 Micrurus langsdorffi — NOGUEIRA et al. 2019 |
| Distribution | S Colombia, N Peru, NW Brazil (incl. Amazonas), Upper Amazon, S Ecuador Type locality: “Habitat in adja-centibus flumini Japurá” [Brazil or Colombia, Rio Jápura from its mouth (Brazil, 03°08'S, 64°66'W) to Araracuara (Colombia, 00°24'S, 72°17'W)] according to the original description and Vanzolini (1981). |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Lectotype: ZSM 2250/0, female, collected by Spix and Martius expedition to Brazil, 1817-1820 Holotype: ANSP 6793, Peru, Rio Napo or Rio Marañon [imperator] |
| Diagnosis | Definition: A single-banded coral snake with a black cap and abasie black-white-red color pattern but with a complex polychromatic polymorphism. The black bands may be absent altogether, absent only ventrally, or only black and white bands may be present. Frequently, white or light spots are present on some upper head shields. Males have no supraanal tubercles (Roze 1996: 185). Description: Males have 202 to 210 (205.9) and females have 218 to 229 (224.1) ventrals; subcaudals 46 to 56 (50.4) in males and 32 to 37 (34.6) in females; 1+1, occasionally 1+2, temporals. Examined: 26 males and 26 females, including all holotypes. The single-banded coloration shows a remarkable variation, representing a polymorphie variety of color patterns, particularly in the Iquitos region of the Peruvian Amazon. It nearly defies a systematic description. The "normal" color pattern consists of a black head cap that occupies the parietals and sides of the head. Light spots may be present or absent on the internasals and prefrontals. The body is covered by black bands alternating with red bands and delimited by aseries of white or yellowish spots, like pearly crossbands. The latter occupy one dorsal or less and at times form a poorly defined white band on the venter. In one variation, the red bands are completely obliterated by black and the body is black dorsally with nearly white crossbands. In many cases of the all-black coloration, the venter is red and white only or only white. In another variation, the black bands are replaced by yellow or brown bands, producing a yellow and red or brown and red body pattern with the pearly bands present or absent. Irregular black, brown, or grey-tipped scales or spots are present on all dorsal bands. In the yellow-red or yellow-reddish-white color pattern, the snout also is yellow or brownish yellow and so are most of the supralabials. The first nuchal "black" band is black, or yellow, or brown, depending on the color pattern. The nuchal band does not cover the tips of the parietals and it usuallY is incomplete ventrally. The chin, depending on the color pattern, may be white and red, or white with black spots on the mental, infralabials, and genials, or the chin can be almost entirely black with a few white, grayish, yellowish, or reddish spots. The original black bands are 2 to 4 dorsals and 2 to 3 ventrals lang, if present. The red bands are 2 to 6, up to 10 dorsals long with irregular but conspieuous black-tipped scales. The last body'band is red, followed by black and white (or some variation thereof) tail bands. In some specimens a red spot is present on each white tail band. Counting the original black bands, the males have 18 to 37 (30.2) and females 29 to 47 (37.3) black body bands. This count doubles in speeimens in which the "red" bands are also black. The males have 6 to 11 (8.1), usually less than 11, and the females have 5 to 8 (6.3), usually less than 8, black tail bands (Roze 1996: 185). |
| Comment | Synonymy partly after PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970. Venomous! Subspecies: Micrurus langsdorffi ornatissimus has been elevated to full species status. Distribution: not in Venezuela (Luis Esqueda, pers. comm., 21 April 2016, see also Natera-Mumaw et al. 2015). See map in Nogueira et al. 2019. |
| Etymology | named after Grigori Ivanovitch Langsdorff or Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff (1774-1852), a Prussian noble, diplomat and naturalist who lived most of his life in Russia. He was nominated consul general in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1813. See Bastos & Sa 2011 for further biographical details. |
| References |
|
| External links |