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Calliophis maculiceps (GÜNTHER, 1858)

IUCN Red List - Calliophis maculiceps - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaElapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesCalliophis maculiceps atrofrontalis (SAUVAGE 1877)
Calliophis maculiceps maculiceps (GÜNTHER 1858)
Calliophis maculiceps smithi KLEMMER 1963 
Common NamesE: Speckled Coral Snake, Small-spotted Coral Snake
G: Gesprenkelte Korallenotter 
SynonymElaps maculiceps GÜNTHER 1858: 232
Elaps melanurus CANTOR 1847 (not SHAW; fide SMITH 1943)
Callophis maculiceps — BOULENGER 1896: 397
Callophis hughi COCHRAN 1927
Calliophis maculiceps punctulatus BOURRET 1934
Calliophis maculiceps hughi — BOURRET 1936
Callophis hughi — SMITH 1943
Callophis maculiceps — SMITH 1943: 420
Calliophis maculiceps punctulatus — DEUVE 1961: 29
Calliophis maculiceps michaelis DEUVE 1961: 28
Calliophis maculiceps hughi — DEUVE 1961: 29
Callophis hughi — TAYLOR 1965
Maticora maculiceps GOLAY et al. 1993
Maticora maculiceps hughi — WELCH 1994: 75
Maticora maculiceps michaelis — WELCH 1994: 75
Calliophis maculiceps — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 420
Calliophis maculiceps — COX et al. 1998: 32
Calliophis maculiceps hughi — NGUYEN et al. 2009
Calliophis maculiceps michaelis — NGUYEN et al. 2009
Calliophis maculiceps — WALLACH et al. 2014: 145

Calliophis maculiceps atrofrontalis (SAUVAGE 1877)
Elaps atrofrontalis SAUVAGE 1877
Maticora maculiceps atrofrontalis — GOLAY 1993: 153
Calliophis maculiceps atrofrontalis — NGUYEN et al. 2009

Calliophis maculiceps maculiceps (GÜNTHER 1858)
Elaps maculiceps GÜNTHER 1858
Maticora maculiceps maculiceps — GOLAY 1993: 153
Maticora maculiceps maculiceps — WELCH 1994: 75
Calliophis maculiceps maculiceps — NGUYEN et al. 2009

Calliophis maculiceps smithi KLEMMER 1963
Calliophis maculiceps var. univirgatus M. SMITH 1915 (non Elaps univirgatus GÜNTHER 1858)
Calliophis maculiceps univirgatus — DEUVE 1961: 29
Calliophis maculiceps smithi KLEMMER 1963 (nom. nov.)
Maticora maculiceps smithi — GOLAY 1993: 154
Calliophis maculiceps smithi — NGUYEN et al. 2009 
DistributionS Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand, NW Malaysia, S Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos

maculiceps: S Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand, N Western Malaysia; Type locality: “East Indies” (GÜNTHER 1858)

atrofrontalis: S Vietnam, Cambodia; Type locality: Cochin-China (= Southern Vietnam)

hughi: Thailand (Koh Tao Island); Type locality: Koh Tao Islands, Gulf of Siam, Thailand.

michaelis: Laos; Type locality: Mekong, Laos.

univirgatus (invalid): Thailand  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: BMNH 58.4.20.6, female (designated by Boulenger 1896); other specimens: FMNH, MCZ
Types: “Musée de Lille” fide V. Wallach, pers. comm., May 2019 [atrofrontalis]
Holotype: USNM 72307 [hughi]
Holotype: MNHN-RA [michaelis]
Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.17.81 (1937.2.1.23). The holotype of C. m. univirgatus Smith, is also the type of C. m. smithi Klemmer 1963 nom. nov.) [smithi] 
DiagnosisDIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS (DIAGNOSIS). Body scales in 13 parallel longitudinal rows, not obliquely disposed; middorsal (vertebral) scales not enlarged); preocular in contact with nasal; ventrals: males 174–186, females 189–203; subcaudals: males 25–31, females 21–25; body above brown to reddish brown, with black spots, the latter arranged longitudinally along each side of the back; head and nape black with some yellow markings including a yellow spot on each side of the occiput; upper labials yellow; tail, below, pale blue or gray. Total length 1300 mm; tail length 150 mm. [after LEVITON 2003]

Description (hughi): Calliophis hughi Cochran (1927) was distinguished from Calliophis maculiceps by its much higher number of ventrals (285) and its lack of black dorsal spots and from "Smith's maculiceps univirgatus” by its higher ventral
count and the absence of ablack vertebral stripe. Cochran (1927) also noted only one posterior temporal in her description, but she didn't mention it as a distinguishing characteristic. Campden-Main (1969) recounted the ventral scales on the holotype and found them to number 186, well within the range of Calliophis maculiceps (from Cox 2000).

Description (punctulatus): Calliophis maculiceps punctulatus Bourret (1934) was based on fewer ventrals (182) than maculiceps and the presence of only one posterior temporal. Golay (1985) synonymized punctulatus with atrofrontalis, as did Toriba in Golay et al.(1993) (from Cox 2000).

Description (michaelis): Ablack vertebral stripe is present on Calliophis maculiceps michaelis Deuve (1960), but Deuve described this subspecies as differing from Smith's univirgatus by having more than 200 ventrals and by the presence of black
spots under the tail. Golay (1985) distinguished this subspecies from all of the others by the presence of ablack vertebral stripe and from smithi by the presence of black spots under the tail (from Cox 2000). 
CommentVenomous!

Synonymy: Golay 1993 listed Callophis hughi COCHRAN 1927 as a synonym of Maticora maculiceps maculiceps. Cox 2000 synonymized hughi and michaelis with maculiceps and concluded that “none of the subspecies are valid” (without being explicit on the others).

Distribution of subspecies after WELCH 1994. 
References
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