Micrurus paraensis CUNHA & NASCIMENTO, 1973
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Micrurus paraensis
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| Higher Taxa | Elapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Para coral snake Portuguese: Cobra-Coral, Coral, Coral-Verdadeira, Cobra-Coral-Paraense, Cobra-Coral-do-Pará |
| Synonym | Micrurus psiches paraensis [sic!] CUNHA & NASCIMENTO 1973 Micrurus psyches donosoi HOGE, CORDEIRO & ROMANO 1976 Micrurus paraensis — HOGE & ROMANO-HOGE 1981 Micrurus psyches donosoi — ROZE 1982: 334 Micrurus paraensis debruini ABUYS 1987 Micrurus psyches donosoi — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 1989: 140 Micrurus psyches paraensis — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 1989 Micrurus psyches paraensis — WELCH 1994: 89 Micrurus paraensis — ROZE 1994 Micrurus paraensis — STRUSSMAN & DE CARVALHO 1998 Micrurus paraensis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 452 Micrurus paraensis — NOGUEIRA et al. 2019 |
| Distribution | Brazil (Mato Grosso, Para), S Suriname Type locality: Icoaraci, Belém, Pará, Brasil. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MPEG 0851 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Micrurus paraensis can be distinguished from other species of Micrurus by the following combination of characters: black cap beginning on rostral, passing from the first to fourth supralabials, behind the eyes on postoculars and half of first temporal; white rings beginning on 5, 6 and 7th supralabials, sometimes beginning on half of fourth supralabial, through temporals towards parietals; black cap joined to first black body rings (nuchal collar) to end of parietals; black body rings range from 12 to 21, bordered by a short white rings (comprising one, half scale, with black posterior margin), 12–20 red rings range from, about 4 to 6 times longer than black rings; body rings do not form triads; 2–11 black tail rings alternated by 1–11 white rings; black tail rings with white spots on dorsal and ventral surfaces; and males have no supraanal tubercles. Micrurus paraensis can be distinguished from the eastern Amazonian coralsnakes (M. filiformis, M. hemprichii hemprichii, M. lemniscatus lemniscatus, M. spixii, M. surinamensis) by the monadal color patterns, long tail, long and bifurcated hemipenis (vs. triad color patterns, short tail, short and bilobed hemipenis). In other Amazonian regions, M. paraensis can be distinguished from monadal color patterned species (M albicinctus and M. langsdorffi) by the tricolor pattern and lower number of black body rings. Bicolored patterns with higher number of black body rings (67 to 90 in males; 77 to 91 in females) on M. albicinctus, white spots on frontals and supraoculars, and white gular region with black spots. M. langsdorffi has a tricolor monadal patterns, higher number of black, white and red body rings (18 to 38 black, 38 to 57 white and 19 to 38 red in males; 29 to 47 black, 46 to 60 white and 20 to 46 red in females) with short red rings (3 to 4 dorsals and ventrals long). Finally, it can be distinguished from the M. psyches group (M. circinalis, M. mademi, M. psyches and M. remotus) by the black body rings and the number of ventrals and subcaudals. M. psyches has black body rings ranging from 22 to 29 in males and 27 to 41 in females (if the black and the original red rings that are blackish are counted as black, the males have 44 to 57 and the females have 51 to 81), original red and black rings are 3 to 5 dorsals and ventrals long, and ventrals ranges from 188 to 196 in males and 203 to 212 in females. M. circinalis has black body rings ranging from 21 to 31, with short red rings (4 to 7 dorsals and ventrals long), and ventrals ranges from 174 to 193 in males and 192 to 209 in females. M. medemi has black body rings ranging from 15 to 25 (if the black and the original red rings that are blackish are counted as black, has 35 black body rings), and ventrals ranges from 193 to 198 in males and 211 to 218 in females. M. remotus has black body rings ranging from 25 to 29 in males and ranging from 29 to 40 in females, and ventrals ranges from 202 to 203 in males and 214 to 225 in females. |
| Comment | Venomous! Distribution: not being registered for Brazilian territory fide Roze, 1996, but see map in Nogueira et al. 2019. |
| Etymology | Named after the type locality. |
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