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Ninia sebae (DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL, 1854)

IUCN Red List - Ninia sebae - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesNinia sebae morleyi (SCHMIDT & ANDREWS 1936)
Ninia sebae immaculata SCHMIDT & RAND 1957
Ninia sebae punctulata (BOCOURT 1883)
Ninia sebae sebae (DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854) 
Common NamesE: Redback Coffee Snake
G: Rote Kaffeeschlange
S: Dormilona Común 
SynonymStreptophorus sebae DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 515
Streptophorus sebae — BOCOURT 1883
Ninia sebae — GARMAN 1884: 95
Ninia sebae — DUNN 1935: 11
Ninia sebae — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 223
Ninia sebae — LINER 1994
Ninia sebae — SAVAGE 2002: 620
Nina sebae — LILLYWHITE 2014: 134 (in error)
Ninia sebae — MATA-SILVA et al. 2015
Ninia sebae — WALLACH et al. 2014: 487
Ninia sebae — MARTÍNEZ-FONSECA et al. 2024

Ninia sebae sebae (DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854)
Elapoidis fasciatus HALLOWELL 1855: 35
Streptophorus sebae collaris JAN 1862: 27
Streptophorus sebae var. dorsalis BOCOURT 1883: 547
Ninia collaris — GARMAN 1884: 95
Ninia sebae sebae — SCHMIDT & ANDREWS 1936: 170
Ninia sebae sebae — TAYLOR 1954: 695
Ninia sebae sebae — SCHMIDT & RAND 1957
Ninia sebae sebae — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 224
Ninia sebae sebae — LINER 2007

Ninia sebae immaculata SCHMIDT & RAND 1957
Ninia sebae immaculata — KLUGE 1984: 68
Ninia sebae immaculata — O’SHEA 2018

Ninia sebae punctulata (BOCOURT 1883)
Streptophorus sebae var. punctulata BOCOURT 1883: 547
Ninia sebae punctulata — SCHMIDT & RAND 1957: 79
Ninia sebae punctulata — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 224
Ninia sebae punctulata — LINER 2007

Ninia sebae morleyi SCHMIDT & ANDREWS 1936
Ninia sebae morleyi SCHMIDT & ANDREWS 1936
Ninia sebae morleyi — BURGER & WERLER 1954: 657
Ninia sebae morleyi — DUNDEE et al. 1986
Ninia sebae morleyi — LINER 2007 
DistributionMexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Campeche [HR 26: 157], Puebla), Belize, Guatemala,
Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama; elevation (Honduras): 0-1650 m elevation

Type locality: Mexico; restricted to Veracruz (SCHMIDT& ANDREWS 1936).

immaculata: SE Nicaragua; Type locality: Rio Escondido (or Bluefields River), southeastern Nicaragua

morleyi: Mexico (Yucatan); Type locality: Mexico, Yucatan, Chichen Itzá.

punctulata: Guatemala, Mexico (Chiapas); Type locality: restricted to vicinity of Quezaltenango on the Pacific slope of southern Guatemala (by Schmidt & Rand 1957).  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: MNHN-RA 3443 (designated by Wallach et al. 2014). The other syntype, MNHN-RA 7303, seems to be lost. The Lectotype designation of MNHN 3778 fide Burger & Werler (1954: 655) is invalid (MNHN 3778 = Pseudoboa neuwiedi fide P. David, in litt.). Lectotype designation of MNHN 7303 fide L.D. Wilson & Meyer (1982: 81 & 1985: 73) is also invalid as the specimen is lost (seen by A. Hoge in 1978 so possibly lost in Butantan fire of 2010) fide P. David (in litt.).

Syntypes: ANSP 3407-08; ANSP 23004-05; Honduras [Elapoidis fasciatus]
Holotype: FMNH 11584 [immaculata]
Holotype: FMNH 20619 [morleyi]
Syntypes: MNHN-RA 1894.0096, MNHN-RA 5942, MNHN-RA 5942A, MNHN-RA 6060 and MNHN-RA 6060A (6 syntypes, catalog numbers may be inconsistent with MNHN web catalog) [punctulata] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Dorsal scales in 19 rows; upper labials 7 or 8; ventrals 131-156; caudals 40-74; red above, with or without black bars or spots on the sides; top of head black; a yellow collar and a broader black dorsal saddle; belly usually immaculate, never checkered (Schmidt & Rand 1957: 74)


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CommentSynonymy after PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970.

Relative abundance in Honduras: infrequent

Ninia sebae mimicks Micrurus bernadi, M. limbatus, and M. diastema (TORRE-LORANCA et al. 2006).

Diet: worms 
EtymologyNamed after the naturalist Albertus Seba (1665-1736) who illustrated the species first in his pre-Linnean “Thesaurus”. 
References
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