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Micrurus fulvius (LINNAEUS, 1766)

IUCN Red List - Micrurus fulvius - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaElapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: North American coral snake, Eastern Coral Snake, Harlequin Coralsnake
G: Harlekin-Korallennatter 
SynonymColuber fulvius LINNAEUS 1766
? Coluber fulvius Var. (H.) HARLAN 1825: 155
Elaps fulvius — BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 21
Elaps fulvius — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1215
Elaps fulvius — GARMAN 1884: 105
Micrurus fulvius barbouri SCHMIDT 1928: 64
Elaps fulvius — BOULENGER 1896
Elaps fulvius — BARBOUR & COLE 1906: 153
Micrurus fulvius fulvius — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 224
Micrurus fulvius fulvius — WELCH 1994: 83
Micrurus fulvius — SLOWINSKI 1995
Micrurus fulvius fulvius — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 470
Micrurus fulvius — CROTHER et al. 2012
Micrurus fulvius — WALLACH et al. 2014: 447 
DistributionUSA (S/C/E Texas, Louisiana, S Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, SE North Carolina).

Type locality: Carolina.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: unknown to exist fide ROZE 1996: 177
Holotype: MCZ 13658, a male from Paradise Key, Dade County, Florida, United States [barbouri] 
Diagnosis 
CommentSubspecies: Micrurus fulvius fitzingeri (JAN 1858), M. f. maculatus and Micrurus fulvius microgalbineus (BROWN & SMITH 1942) are considered as subspecies of tener by LINER. The status of barbouri is unclear. [barbouri is not a valid subspecies--but tener is now considered a full species: Collins, 1991, Roze, 1996, Liner, 1994, Boundy in Crother, 2000].

Venomous! 
EtymologyThe name fulvius is derived from Latin for orange or orange-yellow. It was given, apparently, upon observation of preserved specimens in which the coral red pattern had faded to yellowish orange. 
References
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  • 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
  • Barbour, T., and L. J. Cole. 1906. Vertebrata from Yucatan. Reptilia, Amphibia and Pisces. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 50: 146-159 - get paper here
  • Beane, J C 2019. New geographic distribution records for reptiles from North Carolina, USA. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 538-542 - get paper here
  • Braswell, A.L.; Palmer, W.M. & Beane, J.C. 2003. Venomous Snakes of North Carolina. North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, 31 pp.
  • Brown,B.C. & SMITH,H.M. 1942. A new subspecies of Mexican coral snake. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 55: 63-66 - get paper here
  • Campbell, J.A. & Lamar, W.W. 1989. The Venomous Reptiles of Latin America. Comstock Publishing/Cornell University Press, Ithaca
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  • Chance, B. 1970. A note on the feeding habits of Micrurus fulvius fulvius (cannibalism) Bull. Maryland Herpetol. Soc., 6(3): 56. - get paper here
  • Conant,R. 1978. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, Boston
  • Conant,R. & Collins,J.T. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern/Central North America, 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin (Boston/New York), xx + 450 p.
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  • Enge, Kevin M. 2009. Venomous and non-venomous snakes of Florida. Publication of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. 16 pp.
  • ENGE, KEVIN M.; FREDERICK B. ANTONIO & DAVE M. STRASSER. 2021. MICRURUS FULVIUS (Harlequin Coralsnake). PHENOTYPIC ABERRANCIES. Herpetological Review 52 (3): 672–673. - get paper here
  • ENGE, KEVIN M.; MATTHEW T. FEDLER, GARRETT CRAFT, GLENN BARTOLOTTI & JOHN P. LIGHT. 2022. MICRURUS FULVIUS (Harlequin Coralsnake). ARBOREALITY. Herpetological Review 53 (1): 154.
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  • Irwin, Kelly J. 2004. Arkansas Snake Guide. Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, Little Rock, 50 pp.
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  • Jackson, Dale R.;Franz, Richard 1981. Ecology of the Eastern Coral snake (Micrurus fulvius) in Northern Peninsular Florida. Herpetologica 37 (4): 213-228 - get paper here
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  • Kunte, K., Kizhakke, A. G., & Nawge, V. 2021. Evolution of Mimicry Rings as a Window into Community Dynamics. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 52
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  • Liner, E. A.; Chaney, A. H. 1973. Micrurus fulvius fulvius. Hiss News-Journal 1 (6): 186
  • Liner, E.A. 1994. Scientific and common names for the Amphibians and Reptiles of Mexico in English and Spanish. Herpetological Circular 23: 1-113
  • Link, Goethe 1951. Records of the coral snake, Micrurus fulvius, in Indiana and Ohio. Natural History Miscellanea (92): 1-5
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  • Lönnberg, Einar 1894. Notes on reptiles and batrachians collected in Florida in 1892 and 1893. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 17 (1003): 317-339 - get paper here
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  • Macht, D.I. 1947. Straub Phenomenon Produced by Venom of Micrurus fulvius Copeia 1947 (4): 269-270. - get paper here
  • Meachem, Anne;Meyers, Charles W. 1961. An exceptional pattern habitat variant of the coral snake, Micrurus fulvius (Linnaeus). Quarterly J. Florida Acad. Sci. 24 (1): 56-58 - get paper here
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