Micrurus ruatanus (GÜNTHER, 1895)
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Micrurus ruatanus
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| Higher Taxa | Elapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Roatan Coralsnake, Roatan Coral Snake |
| Synonym | Elaps ruatanus GÜNTHER 1895: 185 Elaps fulvius BOULENGER 1896 Micrurus ruatanus — SCHMIDT 1933: 34 Micrurus ruatanus — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 217 Micrurus nigrocinctus ruatanus — ROZE 1983 Micrurus ruatanus — WELCH 1994: 89 Micrurus ruatanus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 453 |
| Distribution | Honduras (restricted to the Bay Island = Islas de la Bahia, Roatán Island) Type locality: Ruatan Island, Bay Islands, Honduras. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Syntype: MCZ R-26930 |
| Diagnosis | Definition: A two-colored coral snake with alternating long and short black and red bands. The snout it black followed by a red parietal band. The nuchal black band does not reach the parietals and the males have supraanal tubercles (Roze 1996: 214). Description: Males have 178 to 188 (183.7) and females have 193 to 203 (198.7) ventrals; subcaudals 46 to 48 (46.3) in males and 34 to 38 (36.9) in females. About half of the specimens have 2 to 10 undivided subcaudals; 1+1 temporals. Examined: 10 males and 5 females, including the holotype. The black snout coloration reaches up to the anterior part of the supraoculars and half of the frontal. The rest of the head, including the last 4 supralabials and parietals, is red. The black nuchal band does not reach the parietals, and is 3 to 5 dorsals long. Below, the head is white, except the mental and first 2 or 3 infralabials which are black. The rest of the body is covered by black and red bands. Longer and shorter black bands alternate, in some specimens more than in others. The long black bands are usually 3 dorsals and 2 to 3 ventrals long, while the short black bands are 1 to 2Y2 dorsals long; some of them are interrupted laterally or ventrally. The long black bands are equal to or longer than the red bands. The red bands are immaculate. On the tail, the red bands are as long as or longer than the black bands. The males have 33 to 39 (36.1) and the females have 41 to 45 (43.3) black body bands. Males have 5 to 7 (5.9) and the females have 2 to 6 (5.0) black tail bands (Roze 1996: 214). |
| Comment | Venomous! |
| Etymology | Named after the type locality. |
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