Micrurus tener (BAIRD & GIRARD, 1853)

Find more photos by Google images search:

Higher Taxa	Elapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: Texas Coral Snake E: Tamaulipas coral snake [tamaulipensis] E: Guanajuato coral snake [fitzingeri] E: Tampico coral snake [maculatus] E: Spotted coral snake [microgalbineus] E: Texas coral snake [tener] S: Coralillo Tejano E: Saddled Coral Snake (Blotched Coral Snake) [bernadi] S: Coralillo Ensillado [bernadi]
Synonym	Elaps tenere BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 22 Elaps tristis BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 23 Elaps fitzingeri JAN 1858: 316 Elaps fulvius var. tener — GARMAN 1884: plate VIII Elaps bernadi COPE 1887: 87 Elaps fulvius BOULENGER 1896 Micrurus fitzingeri — SCHMIDT 1928 Micrurus fitzingeri — SCHMIDT 1932 Micrurus bernadi — SCHMIDT 1933 Micrurus fitzingeri — TAYLOR 1939 Micrurus tener microgalbineus BROWN & SMITH 1942 Micrurus fitzingeri microgalbineus BROWN & SMITH 1942 Micrurus fitzingeri microgalbineus — TAYLOR 1949: 212 Micrurus tener maculatus ROZE 1967 Micrurus fulvius maculatus ROZE 1967 Micrurus fulvius tenere — SMITH & SMITH 1976 Micrurus fulvius tener — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 225 Micrurus tener — COLLINS 1991 Micrurus fulvius tenere — WELCH 1994: 83 Micrurus fulvius microgalbineus — WELCH 1994: 83 Micrurus tener microgalbineus — LINER 1994 Micrurus tener — LINER 1994 Micrurus tener fitzingeri — LINER 1994 Micrurus diastema bernadi — LINER 1994 Micrurus fulvius maculatus — WELCH 1994: 83 Micrurus tener maculatus — LINER 1994 Micrurus fitzingeri — CASTRO-FRANCO & BUSTOS-ZAGAL 1994 Micrurus fulvius fitzingeri — WELCH 1994: 83 Micrurus bernadi — ROZE 1996 Micrurus fulvius tenere — ROZE 1996: 177 Micrurus fulvius tenere — DIXON 2000 Micrurus tener — CROTHER 2000 Micrurus fulvius tener — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 473 Micrurus bernadi — CAMPBELL 2000 Micrurus fulvius tener — TENNANT 2003: 483 Micrurus tener — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 195 Micrurus tener microgalbineus — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 197 Micrurus tener fitzingeri — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 197 Micrurus tener maculatus — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 197 Micrurus tener tamaulipensis LAVIN-MURCIO & DIXON 2004 Micrurus tamaulipensis LAVIN-MURCIO & DIXON 2004 Micrurus tener — CROTHER et al. 2012 Micrurus tener — WALLACH et al. 2014: 455 Micrurus bernadi — WALLACH et al. 2014: 442 Micrurus tamaulipensis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 455 Micrurus tener tamaulipensis — HEIMES 2016: 341 Micrurus tamaulipensis — JOHNSON et al. 2017 Micrurus tener — REYES-VELASCO et al. 2020
Distribution	USA, Mexico fitzingeri: Mexico (Guanajuato and Queretaro to Morelos, Hidalgo, Durango) bernadi: Mexico (W Hidalgo south to N Puebla, NW Veracruz?); Type locality: Zacualtipan, Hidalgo, Mexico. maculatus: Mexico (S Tamaulipas, N Veracruz); Type locality: Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. microgalbineus: Mexico (SW Tamaulipas, CE/E San Luis Potosí to C Guanajuato) tamaulipensis: Mexico (Tamaulipas: Sierra de Tamaulipas);Type locality: Sierra de Tamaulipas, Rancho La Sauceda, ca. 50 km N Gonazlez, 750-1000 m elevation (23° 06’ 47’’ N, 98° 20’ 19’’ W), Tamaulipas, Mexico. tener: USA (SW Arkansas and Louisiana to WC Texas), Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Puebla)
Reproduction	oviparous
Types	Holotype: USNM Holotype: ANSP 14767, female [bernadi] Syntype: NMW 18297 [fitzingeri] Holotype: ZMH R03028 (formerly no. 5685), male, ded. Dr. E. KALLERT Feb. 10, 1930 [maculatus] Holotype: BCB 5381 (Strecker Museum Baylor University Waco) [microgalbineus] Holotype: CAR-ITCV (also as ITCV or ITT) 751, paratypes: CCVUACJ (Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico) [tamaulipensis] Holotype: USNM 1124 [Elaps tristis]
Diagnosis	Diagnosis (bernadi). A coral snake of the genus Micrurus with the normal body form and usual arrangement of head shields; ventrals about 208 in males, 225 in females; caudals about 44 in males and 38 in females; no trace of supra-anal keels; color pattern of black dorsal spots on red ground color [from SCHMIDT 1958]. Additional details (1269 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details.
Comment	Venomous! Synonymy: Streicher et al. 2016 suggested to synonymize all subspecies with the nominate form, M. tener. They also suggested to synonymize M. bernadi and M. tamaulipensis with tener. Notable, this synonymization was ONLY mentioned in passing in the Methods section (!) of the paper, which then referred to Appendix S1 for details. No kidding. Anyway, this conclusion was also supported by Reyes-Velasco et al. 2020 who also found that individuals of M. tener previously reported from Colima and Morelos (Campbell and Lamar, 2004; Reyes-Velasco et al., 2009) actually represent M. browni Schmidt and Smith, 1943. Distribution: see map 20 in Campbell & Lamar 2004: 170 Mimicry: Micrurus bernadi [= tener] is mimicked by Lampropeltis triangulum, Ninia sebae, and Pliocercus elapoides (TORRE-LORANCA et al. 2006). NCBI taxonID: 2072740 [bernadi]
Etymology	The specific name is the Latin word tener, meaning "soft or delicate," in reference to the graceful features of this snake. The name maculatus (Latin for spotted) refers to the presence of some large black spots in the red bands. The name microgalbineus is derived from a modern Latin adaptation of the original Greek word micro meaning small and tiny and galbineus, Latin for greenish yellow. The name microgalbineus alludes to the short yellowish bands of this subspecies. M. bernadi was named after Santiago Bernad, collector of the holotype.
References	Baird, S. F. and C. Girard. 1853. Catalogue of North American Reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Part 1.-Serpents. Smithsonian Inst., Washington, xvi + 172 pp. - get paper here Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here Brown,B.C. & SMITH,H.M. 1942. A new subspecies of Mexican coral snake. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 55: 63-66 - get paper here Camarillo,R.J.L. 1995. Distribution records for some amphibians and reptiles from Mexico. Bull. Maryland Herp. Soc. 31 (4): 195-197 - get paper here Campbell, J.A. 2000. A new species of venomous coral snake (Serpentes: Elapidae) from high desert in Puebla, Mexico. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 113 (1): 291-297 - get paper here Campbell, J.A. & Lamar, W.W. 1989. The Venomous Reptiles of Latin America. Comstock Publishing/Cornell University Press, Ithaca Campbell, Jonathan A. 1973. A Captive Hatching of Micrurus fulvius tenere (Serpentes, Elapidae). Journal of Herpetology 7 (3): 312-315 - get paper here Castro-Franco, Rubén, María Guasalupe Bustos-Zagal 1994. List of reptiles of Morelos, Mexico, and their distribution in relation to vegetation types. Southwestern Naturalist 39 (2): 171-175 - get paper here Cole, Charles J. C 2021. Karyotypes of Coralsnakes (Reptilia: Elapidae) from the Western Hemisphere, with Comments on Intraspecific Variation and Centric Fission of Chromosomes. American Museum Novitates (3972): 1-8 - get paper here Collins J T 1991. Viewpoint: a new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibians and reptiles. Herpetological Review 22 (2): 42-43 - get paper here Cope, E.D. 1887. Catalogue of batrachians and reptiles of Central America and México. Bull. US Natl. Mus. 32: 7-98 - get paper here Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2012. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians, Seventh Edition. Herpetological Circular 39: 1-92 Cruz-Elizalde R, Ramírez-Bautista A, Pineda-López R, Mata-Silva V, DeSantis DL, García-Padilla E, Johnson JD, Rocha A, Fucsko LA, Wilson LD. 2022. The herpetofauna of Querétaro, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 16(1) [General Section]: 148–192 (e308) - get paper here Curlis, John D. Jr 2017. Evolutionary Linkage of Mimetic and Non-Mimetic Color Traits in a Coral Snake Mimicry Complex. Thesis, Georgia Southern University 1678 - get paper here Dixon, James R. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas, second edition. Texas A&M University Press, 421 pp. Dixon, James R. and Julio A. Lemos-Espinal 2010. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Queretaro, Mexico. Tlalnepantla UNAM, 428 pp. Farr, William L. and Thad Warren. 2013. Micrurus tener (Texas coralsnake) aberrant pattern. Herpetological Review 44 (4): 694-695 - get paper here FERNÁNDEZ-BADILLO, LEONARDO; NALLLEY MORALES-CAPELLÁN & JUAN CARLOS TREJO OSORIO. 2021. Geographic distribution: MICRURUS TENER (Texas Coralsnake). MEXICO: HIDALGO: Municipality of Tasquillo. Herpetological Review 52 (2): 348. - get paper here Fernández-Badillo, Leonardo; Norma Leticia Manríquez-Morán; Jesús Martín Castillo-Cerón & Irene Goyenechea 2016. Análisis herpetofaunístico de la zona árida del estado de Hidalgo. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 156–170 - get paper here Garman, Samuel 1884. The reptiles and batrachians of North America. Mem. Mus. comp. Zool, Cambridge (Massachusetts), 8 (3): xxxiv + 185 pp. [1883] [CNAH reprint 10] - get paper here GUTIÉRREZ MAYÉN, MA. GUADALUPE Y JORGE SALAZAR ARENAS 2007. HERPETOFAUNA DE LOS MUNICIPIOS DE CAMOCUAUTLA, ZAPOTITLÁN DE MÉNDEZ Y HUITZILAN DE SERDÁN, DE LA SIERRA NORTE DE PUEBLA. HERPETOFAUNA DE TRES MUNICIPIOS DE LA SIERRA NORTE DE PUEBLA, pp.197-223 Heimes, P. 2016. Snakes of Mexico. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 572 pp Irwin, Kelly J. 2004. Arkansas Snake Guide. Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, Little Rock, 50 pp. Johnson, J. D., L. D. Wilson, V. Mata-Silva, E. García-Padilla, and D. L. DeSantis. 2017. The endemic herpetofauna of Mexico: organisms of global significance in severe peril. Mesoamerican Herpetology 4(3): 544–620 - get paper here Jones D, Foshee B, Fitzgerald L 2021. A herpetological survey of Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. Check List 17(1): 27-38 - get paper here Lavin-Murcio, Pablo A. & James R. Dixon 2004. A new species of coral snake (Serpentes, Elapidae) from the Sierra de Tamaulipas, Mexico. Phyllomedusa 3 (1): 3-8 - get paper here Lazcano D, Nevárez-de los Reyes M, García-Padilla E, Johnson JD, Mata-Silva V, DeSantis DL, Wilson LD. 2019. The herpetofauna of Coahuila, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13(2) [General Section]: 31–94 (e189) - get paper here Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR 2020. A conservation checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of the State of Mexico, Mexico with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 953: 137-159 - get paper here Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR 2020. A conservation checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico City, with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 951: 109-131 - get paper here Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR 2020. A conservation checklist of the herpetofauna of Morelos, with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 941: 121-144 - get paper here Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Cruz A 2016. Amphibians and Reptiles of the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. ZooKeys 594: 123-141, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.594.8289 - get paper here Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Gadsden-Esparza H, Valdez-Lares R, Woolrich-Piña GA 2018. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Durango, Mexico, with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 748: 65-87 - get paper here Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Pierce LJS, Painter CW 2020. The amphibians and reptiles of Colima, Mexico, with a summary of their conservation status. ZooKeys 927: 99-125 - get paper here Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Woolrich-Piña GA 2018. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 753: 83-106 - get paper here Lemos-Espinal, Julio A. and James R. Dixon 2013. Amphibians and Reptiles of San Luis Potosí. Eagle Mountain Publishing, xii + 300 pp. Lemos-Espinal, Julio A., Geoffrey R. Smith 2015. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. Check List 11 (3): 1642 - get paper here Leyte-Manrique A, Mata-Silva V, Báez-Montes O, Fucsko LA, DeSantis DL, García-Padilla E, Rocha A, Johnson JD, Porras LW, Wilson LD. 2022. The herpetofauna of Guanajuato, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 16(2) [General Section: 133–180 (e321) - get paper here Leyte-Manrique, Adrian; Christian Berriozabal-Islas, Vicente Mata-Silva, and Juan Pablo Morales-Castorena 2018. Herpetofaunal diversity in Área Natural Protegida Las Musas, Guanajuato, Mexico. Mesoamerican Herpetology 5 (1): 122–136 - get paper here Leyte-Manrique, Adrian; Efrén M. Hernández Navarro y Luis A. Escobedo-Morales 2015. Herpetofauna de Guanajuato: Un análisis histórico y contemporáneo de su conocimiento. Revista Mexicana de Herpetología 1(1): 1–14 Marcou, Zachary John 2018. Delineating Metrics of Diversity for a Snake Community in a Rare Ecosystem. MSc Thesis, Stephen F. Austin State University - get paper here Nevárez-de-los-Reyes, Manuel, David Lazcano, Elí García-Padilla, Vicente Mata-Silva, Jerry D. Johnson and Larry David Wilson. 2016. The Herpetofauna of Nuevo León, Mexico: Composition, Distribution, and Conservation. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3 (3): 558–638 - get paper here Oyervides, Mayra and Frederic Zaidan, III. 2015. Geographic Distribution: Micrurus tener (Texas coralsnake). Herpetological Review 46 (4): 574 - get paper here Reyes-Velasco, J., Adams, R. H., Boissinot, S., Parkinson, C. L., Campbell, J. A., Castoe, T. A. and Smith, E. N. 2020. Genome-wide SNPs clarify lineage diversity confused by coloration in coralsnakes of the Micrurus diastema species complex (Serpentes: Elapidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 147: 106770 - get paper here Roze, J. A. 1996. Coral Snakes of the Americas. Krieger, Malabar, Florida Roze, Jánis A 1967. A checklist of the New World venomous Coral Snakes (Elapidae), with descriptions of new forms. American Museum Novitates (2287): 1-60 - get paper here Schmidt, K. P. 1933. Preliminary account of the coral snakes of Central America and Mexico. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Zool. Ser. 20: 29-40. - get paper here Schmidt, Karl P. 1958. Some rare or little-known Mexican coral snakes. Fieldiana: Zoology 39 (19): 201-212 - get paper here Streicher, Jeffrey W.; Jay P. McEntee, Laura C. Drzich, Daren C. Card, Drew R. Schield, Utpal Smart, Christopher L. Parkinson, Tereza Jezkova, Eric N. Smith and Todd A. Castoe 2016. Genetic surfing, not allopatric divergence, explains spatial sorting of mitochondrial haplotypes in venomous coralsnakes. Evolution 70 (7): 1435–1449, DOI: 10.1111/evo.12967 - get paper here Taylor, Edward H. 1939. Some Mexican serpents. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 26 (13): 445-487 - get paper here Taylor,E.H. 1949. A preliminary account of the herpetology of the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 33 (2): 169-215 - get paper here Tennant, A. 2003. Snakes of North America - Eastern and Central Regions, revised edition. Lone Star Books, 605 pp. Tennant, A. & Bartlett, R.D. 2000. Snakes of North America - Eastern and Central Regions. Gulf Publishing, Houston, TX, 588 pp. Tepos-Ramírez M, Garduño-Fonseca FS, Peralta-Robles CA, García-Rubio OR, Cervantes Jiménez R 2023. Annotated checklist of amphibians and reptiles from Querétaro, Mexico, including new records, and comments on controversial species. Check List 19(2): 269-292 - get paper here Terán-Juárez, Sergio A., Elí García Padilla, Vicente Mata-Silva, Jerry D. Johnson and Larry David Wilson. 2016. The herpetofauna of Tamaulipas, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3 (1): 43–113 - get paper here Terán-Juárez, Sergio A.; Elí García-Padilla, Francisco E. Leyto-Delgado, and Leccinum J. García- Morales 2015. New records and distributional range extensions for amphibians and reptiles from Tamaulipas, Mexico. Mesoamerican Herpetology 2 (2): 208-214 - get paper here Torre-Loranca, M.A. de la; Aguirre-León, G. & López-Luna, M.A. 2006. Coralillos verdaderos (Serpentes: Elapidae) y Coralillos falsos (Serpentes: Colubridae) de Veracruz, México. Acta Zoologica Mexicana 22 (3): 11-22 - get paper here Torres-Hernández, LA, Ramírez-Bautista A, Cruz-Elizalde R, Hernández-Salinas U, Berriozabal-Islas C, DeSantis DL, Johnson JD, Rocha A, García-Padilla E, Mata-Silva V, Fucsko LA, and Wilson LD. 2021. The herpetofauna of Veracruz, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 15(2) [General Section]: 72–155 - get paper here Trauth, Stanley, E.; Henry W. Robison and Michael V. Plummer 2004. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, 422 pp. Vite-Silva, Victor D.; Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista y Uriel Hernández-Salinas 2010. Diversidad de anfibios y reptiles de la Reserva de la Biosfera Barranca de Metztitlán, Hidalgo, México Diversity of amphibians and reptiles from the Barranca de Metztitlán Biosphera Reserve in Hidalgo, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 81: 473- 485 - 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. Weidler, J M 2019. Protected areas of Texas in relation to Texas reptiles. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 462-473 - get paper here Werler, J.E. & D.M. Darling 1950. A Case of Poisoning from the Bite of a Coral Snake, Micrurus f. tenere Baird and Girard Herpetologica 6 (7): 197-199. - get paper here Werler, John E. & James R. Dixon 2000. Texas Snakes. University of Texas Press, 544 pages Woolrich-Piña, G. A., E. García-Padilla, D. L. DeSantis, J. D. Johnson, V. Mata-Silva, and L. D. Wilson 2017. The herpetofauna of Puebla, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Mesoamerican Herpetology 4(4): 791–884 - get paper here Woolrich-Piña, G; Smith, G R; Lemos Espinal, J A & Méndez De La Cruz, F R; 2019. Micrurus bernadi (Saddled Coralsnake) Thermal ecology. Herpetological Review 50 (1): 163 - get paper here
External links	IUCN Red List National Center for Biotechnology Information http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/snakes/ http://www-surgery.ucsd.edu/ENT/DAVIDSON/snake/3cnames.htm http://ntri.tamuk.edu/herpetarium/viperidae/m.f.tenere/mftenere.htm https://www.facebook.com/groups/stshc/posts/247972330760706/ Google images

Is it interesting? Share with others:

Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator