Micrurus laticollaris PETERS, 1870
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Micrurus laticollaris
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| Higher Taxa | Elapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | Micrurus laticollaris laticollaris (PETERS 1870) Micrurus laticollaris maculirostris ROZE 1967 |
| Common Names | E: Double collar coral snake, Balsas Coral Snake E: Eastern double collar coral snake [laticollaris] E: Western double collar coral snake [maculirostris] S: Coralillo de Doble Collar |
| Synonym | Micrurus laticollaris laticollaris (PETERS 1870) Elaps macgravii var. laticollaris PETERS 1870 Elaps marcgravii laticollaris PETERS 1869 Elaps laticollaris — GARMAN 1884: 107 Micrurus laticollaris — LINER 1994 Micrurus laticollaris laticollaris — LINER 2007 Micrurus laticollaris — WALLACH et al. 2014: 448 Micrurus laticollaris maculirostris ROZE 1967 Micrurus laticollaris maculirostris — LINER 2007 |
| Distribution | Mexico (Michoacan, Guerrero, Jalisco, Morelos, Puebla, Oaxaca, Mexico) laticollaris: Mexico (Michoacan, Guerrero, Puebla, Morelos) maculirostris: Mexico (Colima, Jalisco) Type locality: Puebla, by implication; “probably Matamoros, Puebla” fide SMITH & TAYLOR (1945); explicitely restricted to “Matamoros (Izúcar)” by SMITH & TAYLOR (1950) [cited after BAUER 1995]. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Syntypes: ZMB 6659A-B, FMNH 95836 (fide MARX 1958). Holotype: KU 32546 [maculirostris] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. A small coral snake of usual cylindrical form and normal Micrurus scale pattern, with black rings arranged in triads, the middle broader in each group, one separated from the outer ones by broad yellow rings, the first triad incomplete, ventrals in males about 210, in females 218, caudals respectively 43 and 39; temporals uniformly 1-2 [from SCHMIDT 1958]. Original description (free translation from the German).—Head black, including the anterior part of the parietals, so that the posterior angle of the frontal is light. A yellow ring on the posterior part of the head, extending to the second dorsal scale row; this is followed by a broad black ring that extends over 12 to 13 scale rows; followed by a yellow ring 3 to 4 scales wide, and this in turn by a black ring 4 to 5 scales wide. This is then followed by a red ring 6 to 9 scales in width, in which the tips of the scales are black. Behind this are black rings arranged in threes, the outer separated from the middle one by yellow rings, the middle ring being about twice as wide as the outer ones. Each group of three rings is separated from the next by a broad red black-spotted ring. Including that of the head, there are 7 or 8 such triads on the body. The tail has three broad black rings separated by narrower yellow ones [from SCHMIDT 1958]. |
| Comment | MARX 1958 listed FMNH 95836 as cotype, implying that the “type” was among the remaining ZMB specimens. DIXON et al. (in GOLAY et al. 1993) regarded ZMB 6659 as the lectotype, apparently accepting MARX’s action as an implicit designation. However, as two specimens remain under this number in Berlin, no action to date has selected a single lectotype and all members of the type series should be regarded as syntypes (from BAUER 1995). Venomous! The common name is derived from the Balsas river in south-central Mexico, along which this species appears to occur. |
| Etymology | Latin from lati- meaning broad or wide and collari meaning of the collar, referring to the long black nuchal band. The Latin word maculirostris alludes to the light dots on the snout. |
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