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Micrurus nigrocinctus (GIRARD, 1854)

IUCN Red List - Micrurus nigrocinctus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaElapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesMicrurus nigrocinctus babaspul ROZE 1967
Micrurus nigrocinctus coibensis SCHMIDT 1936
Micrurus nigrocinctus divaricatus (HALLOWELL 1855)
Micrurus nigrocinctus nigrocinctus (GIRARD 1854)
Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis SCHMIDT 1932 
Common NamesE: Central American Coralsnake, Central American Coral Snake
E: Common Central American coral snake [nigrocinctus]
E: Babaspul [babaspul]
E: Coiba coral snake [coibensis]
E: Honduras coral snake [divaricatus]
E: Mount Ovando coral snake [ovandoensis]
E: Zunil coral snake [zunilensis]
G: Schwarzgebänderte Korallenotter, Mittelamerikanische Korallenotter
S: Coralillo Centroamericano 
SynonymElaps nigrocinctus GIRARD 1854
Elaps fulvius var. nigrocinctus — GARMAN 1884: 106
Micrurus pachecoi — TAYLOR 1951
Micrurus nigrocinctus — LINER 1994
Micrurus nigrocinctus — SAVAGE 2002
Micrurus nigrocinctus — MATA-SILVA et al. 2015
Micrurus nigrocinctus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 450
Micrurus nigrocinctus — MARTÍNEZ-FONSECA et al. 2024

Micrurus nigrocinctus babaspul ROZE 1967
Micrurus nigrocinctus babaspul — WELCH 1994: 87
Micrurus nigrocinctus babaspul — ROZE 1996: 203

Micrurus nigrocinctus coibensis K.P.SCHMIDT 1936
Micrurus nigrocinctus coibensis K.P.SCHMIDT 1936
Micrurus nigrocinctus coibensis — WELCH 1994: 87
Micrurus nigrocinctus coibensis — ROZE 1996: 204

Micrurus nigrocinctus divaricatus (HALLOWELL 1855)
Elaps divaricatus HALLOWELL 1855: 36
Micrurus nigrocinctus divaricatus — SCHMIDT 1933
Micrurus nigrocinctus divaricatus — WELCH 1994: 87
Micrurus nigrocinctus divaricatus — ROZE 1996: 204
Micrurus nigrocinctus divaricatus — JOWERS et al. 2023

Micrurus nigrocinctus nigrocinctus (GIRARD 1854)
Elaps nigrocinctus GIRARD 1854 (1855: 226)
Elaps fulvius BOULENGER 1896
Micrurus nigrocinctus nigrocinctus — WELCH 1994: 87
Micrurus nigrocinctus nigrocinctus — ROZE 1996: 202

Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis K.P.SCHMIDT 1932
Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis K.P.SCHMIDT 1932
Micrurus nigrocinctus wagneri MERTENS 1941
Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis — SMITH 1942: 454
Micrurus nigrocinctus ovandoensis SCHMIDT & SMITH 1943
Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis — LIVEZEY & PECKHAM 1953
Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis — MERTENS 1956
Micrurus browni importunus ROZE 1967
Micrurus browni importunus — GOLAY et al. 1993: 159
Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis — WELCH 1994: 87
Micrurus browni importunus — ROZE 1996: 147
Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis — ROZE 1996: 205
Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis — REYES-VELASCO et al. 2020
Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis — JOWERS et al. 2023 
DistributionMexico (Oaxaca, Chiapas), Belize, Guatemala,
Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama,
Colombia, W Caribbean; elevation (Honduras): 0-1600 m

nigrocinctus: Pacific coasts of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, N Colombia

babaspul: Nicaragua (Corn Islands)

coibensis: Panama (Coiba Island); Type locality: Coiba Island, Panama.

divaricatus: Belize, N/C Honduras; Type locality: Honduras;

importunus: Guatemala (Sacatepequez); Type locality: Dueñas, about 25 km west-southwest of Guatemala City in the Antigua Basin, Sacatepequez, Guatemala

ovandoensis: Mexico (Chiapas). Type locality: Salto de Agua, Mount Ovando, about fifteen miles northeast of Escuintla, Chiapas. Altitude 1,200 feet elevation.

zunilensis: Pacific coasts of Mexico (Chiapas), Guatemala, El Salvador, S Honduras; Type locality: Finca El Cipres, lower slopes of Volcan Zunil, Suchitepequez, Guatemala.

Type locality: "Taboga Island, Bay of Panama, Panama" (Girard, C. 1854)  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesSyntypes: USNM 7347 (2), 329492
Holotype: CAS 66001 [zunilensis]
Holotype: ANSP 6843 [divaricatus]
Holotype: AMNH 96996 [babaspul]
Holotype: BMNH 1926.1-20.76 [coibensis]
Holotype: BMNH 64.1.26.41A [importunus]
Holotype: USNM 111331; Paratype: (n=1) USNM 111332, from the vicinity of La Esperanza, 400 feet, ten miles northeast of Escuintla, Chiapas, collected May 25, 1940, young female [ovandoensis]
Holotype: SMF 34190, a male [wagneri] 
Diagnosis 
CommentSubspecies: The validity of several subspecies is questionable (see VENCES et al. 1998 and Villa 1984). Micrurus nigrocinctus mosquitensis SCHMIDT 1933 has been elevated to full species status.

Synonymy: after Roze 1996 and others. REYES-VELASCO et al. 2020 synonymized Micrurus browni importunus with Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis. Various populations and subspecies of M. nigrocinctus are paraphyletic, e.g. with respect to M. mosquitensis, but Jowers et al. 2023 have not recommended any major taxonomic changes.

Mimicry: Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis is mimicked by Pliocercus elapoides (see figures in SMITH & CHISZAR 2001).

Venomous!

Distribution: not in Yucatan state (Mexico), fide Gonzalez-Sanchez et al. 2017. Records from Belize remain to be confirmed; this snake probably does not occur in Belize (Stafford 1999).

Abundance in Honduras: common

Similar species: M. dumerilii. 
EtymologyLatin from niger meaning black and cinctus meaning a girdle or band; thus black-banded coral snake, alluding to the black single bands.

The name pachecoi is dedicated to Marco Tulio Pacheco, a Costa Rican scientist.

The name babaspul is derived from its cornrnon name in Creole English spoken on the islands where the coral snake is found. The name, babaspul, refers to barber's pole, in allusion to its black, white, and red bands that are used to advertise barber shops throughout the Western world.

M. n. coibensis was named after the type locality, Coiba Island.

M. n. divaricatus from Latin divarica meaning to spread out, probably referring to the extended red bands on the body.

M. n. ovandoensis was named after the type localities [Mount Ovando, Chiapas, Mexico].

Zunilensis, Latin for inhabitant of Volcán Zunil; wagneri is dedicated to H. O. Wagner, collector of the holotype, and ovandoensis is Latin for dweller of Mt. Ovando. 
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