Micrurus meridensis ROZE, 1989

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Higher Taxa	Elapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: Merida Coral Snake
Synonym	Micrurus dissoleucus meridensis ROZE 1989 Micrurus meridensis — ROZE 1994: 180 Micrurus meridensis — ROZE 1996 Micrurus meridensis — KORNACKER 1999 Micrurus meridensis — RIVAS et al. 2012 Micrurus meridensis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 449
Distribution	Venezuela (Merida) Type locality: 1 km northeast of Lagunilla, Merida, Venezuela, 915 m elevation.
Reproduction	oviparous.
Types	Holotype: USNM 217256, a male
Diagnosis	Definition: A triad-type coral snake in which the black nuchal band is single and the body triads consist of somewhat irregular black bands; the central band is longer than the outer bands (Roze 1996: 195). Description: The only known specimens, a male, has 176 ventrals and 27 subcaudals; 1+1 temporals. The snout and most of the head below are black, including the supraoculars and most of the frontal. It is followed by a white parietal crossband, but a black spot is present on the suture between the parietals. The nuchal black band is 3 dorsals long and covers the tips of the parietals. The black triads are irregular and several black bands are reduced or interrupted. The central black bands are 2 to 3 dorsals and ventrals long. The outer black bands are 1 to 2 dorsals and ventrals long but quite irregular. The white bands are also irregular, 1 to 2 dorsals long with the scales outlined by black borders. The red bands are 3 to 4 dorsals and ventrals long with small black tips. On the tail, the black bands are longer than on the body. The black bands are 3 to 4 dorsals long. The male has 18 complete triads on the body plus the single black nuchal band, and 2Y> triads on the tail (Roze 1996: 195).
Comment	Venomous!
Etymology	named after its distribution.
References	Kornacker,P.M. 1999. Checklist and key to the snakes of Venezuela. PaKo-Verlag, Rheinbach, Germany, 270 pp. Natera-Mumaw, Marco; Luis Felipe Esqueda-González & Manuel Castelaín-Fernández 2015. Atlas Serpientes de Venezuela. Santiago de Chile, Dimacofi Negocios Avanzados S.A., 456 pp. - get paper here RIVAS, GILSON A.; CÉSAR R. MOLINA, GABRIEL N. UGUETO, TITO R. BARROS, CÉSAR L. BAR- RIO-AMORÓS & PHILIPPE J. R. KOK 2012. Reptiles of Venezuela: an updated and commented checklist. Zootaxa 3211: 1–64 - get paper here Roze J A 1989. New species and subspecies of coral snakes, genus Micrurus (Elapidae), with notes on type specimens of several species. American Museum Novitates (2932) : 1-15 - get paper here Roze, J. A. 1996. Coral Snakes of the Americas. Krieger, Malabar, Florida Roze, J.A. 1994. Notes on the taxonomy of venomous coral snakes (Elapidae) of South America. Bull. Maryland Herp. Soc. 30: 177-185. - get paper here Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
External links	IUCN Red List Google images

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