Leptomicrurus narduccii (JAN, 1863)
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Leptomicrurus narduccii
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| Higher Taxa | Elapidae, Elapoidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | Leptomicrurus narduccii narduccii (JAN 1863) Leptomicrurus narduccii melanotus (PETERS 1881) |
| Common Names | E: Andean Blackback Coral Snake E: Bolivian black coral snake [narduccii] E: Slender black coral snake [melanotus] Portuguese: Cobra-Coral, Coral-Verdadeira, Cobra-Coral-de-Costas-Pretas-Andina, Cobra-Coral-Pintada |
| Synonym | Elaps narduccii JAN 1863: 222 Elaps scutiventris COPE 1870: 156 Leptomicrurus narduccii SCHMIDT 1937: 363 Leptomicrurus narduccii — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 157 Leptomicrurus narduccii — DUELLMAN 1978: 260 Leptomicrurus narduccii narduccii — ROZE & BERNAL-CARLO 1988: 591 Leptomicrurus narduccii — WELCH 1994: 73 Micrurus narduccii — SLOWINSKI 1995 Micrurus narduccii — SLOWINSKI, BOUNDY & LAWSON 2001 Leptomicrurus narduccii — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 129 Micrurus narduccii — WALLACH et al. 2014: 450 Leptomicrurus narduccii — SILVA et al. 2016: 55 Leptomicrurus narduccii — NOGUEIRA et al. 2019 Leptomicrurus narduccii — SILVA et al. 2021: 127 Micrurus narduccii melanotus (PETERS 1881) Elaps melanotus PETERS 1881: 51 Leptomicrurus narduccii melanotus — ROZE & BERNAL-CARLO 1988: 592 Micrurus narduccii melanotus — SLOWINSKI et al. 2001 Leptomicrurus narduccii melanotus — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 130 |
| Distribution | S Colombia, E Ecuador, N/E Peru, NW Brazil, NW Bolivia (Ichilo, Andrés Ibañez, Sara provinces, Santa Cruz, Villa Tunari, Chapare Province, Department of Cochabamba, Beni). Type locality: “Bolivia”; restricted to "Buenavista, Provincia de Santa Cruz" = Buena Vista, Provincia Ichilo, by Roze and Bernal-Carlo, 1987). Type locality: “Sarayacu (Ecuador)” [Elaps melanotus PETERS 1881] |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Neotype: MSNM, fide Scali 2010; Holotype lost fide Harvey et al. 2003, originally from "Bolivia" (CSI, number unknown). Syntypes: lost, ZMB 9812 (2 specimens), but lost fide Golay 1993: 149, Roze 1996: 135 [melanotus] Syntype: ANSP 6801; EcuLador,Pebas on the Amazon [scutiventris] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: (1) Dorsum black except for orange nuchal ring and, often, an orange ring around base of tail; circular orange or yellow spots on venter; (2) hemipenis and tail relatively short; (3) two supralabials entering orbit; (4) mental broadly contacting chinshields; (5) anal scale usually divided; (6) dorsal head scales immaculate black except for orange band crossing all of frontal and anterior portions of parietals to supralabials and onto underside of head; (7) subcaudals 17-20 in females and 23—26 in males. |
| Comment | Synonymy partly after PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970. Venomous! Distribution: not in Colombia fide Bernal (2025). |
| Etymology | Named after Dr. Narducci from Milan who lived in the last century in Bolivia and sent snakes to the Milan Museum, including the type specimen of this coral snake. M. n. melanotus has been named after the Greek melano meaning black and melanotus meaning the black-colored one, alluding to the predominantly black dorsal coloration of this coral snake. |
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