Micrurus tener BAIRD & GIRARD, 1853
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Higher Taxa | Elapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
Subspecies | Micrurus tener fitzingeri (JAN 1858) Micrurus tener maculatus ROZE 1967 Micrurus tener microgalbineus BROWN & SMITH 1942 Micrurus tener tamaulipensis LAVIN-MURCIO & DIXON 2004 Micrurus tener tener (BAIRD & GIRARD 1853) |
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 |
Synonym | Micrurus tener tener (BAIRD & GIRARD 1853) Elaps tenere BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 22 Elaps tenere BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 22 Elaps tristis BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 23 Micrurus fulvius tenere — SMITH & SMITH 1976 Micrurus fulvius tener — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 225 Micrurus tener — COLLINS 1991 Micrurus fulvius tenere — WELCH 1994: 83 Micrurus tener — LINER 1994 Micrurus fulvius tenere — ROZE 1996: 177 Micrurus fulvius tenere — DIXON 2000 Micrurus tener — CROTHER 2000 Micrurus fulvius tener — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 473 Micrurus fulvius tener — TENNANT 2003: 483 Micrurus tener — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 195 Micrurus tener — CROTHER et al. 2012 Micrurus tener — WALLACH et al. 2014: 455 Micrurus tener microgalbineus BROWN & SMITH 1942 Micrurus fitzingeri microgalbineus BROWN & SMITH 1942 Micrurus fitzingeri microgalbineus — TAYLOR 1949: 212 Micrurus fulvius microgalbineus — WELCH 1994: 83 Micrurus tener microgalbineus — LINER 1994 Micrurus tener microgalbineus — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 197 Micrurus tener fitzingeri (JAN 1858) Elaps fitzingeri JAN 1858: 316 Micrurus fulvius fitzingeri Elaps fulvius BOULENGER 1896 Micrurus fitzingeri fitzingeri Micrurus fitzingeri — SCHMIDT 1928 Micrurus fitzingeri — SCHMIDT 1932 Micrurus tener fitzingeri — LINER 1994 Micrurus fitzingeri — CASTRO-FRANCO & BUSTOS-ZAGAL 1994 Micrurus fulvius fitzingeri — WELCH 1994: 83 Micrurus tener fitzingeri — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 197 Micrurus tener maculatus ROZE 1967 Micrurus fulvius maculatus ROZE 1967 Micrurus fulvius maculatus — WELCH 1994: 83 Micrurus tener maculatus — LINER 1994 Micrurus tener maculatus — CAMPBELL & LAMAR 2004: 197 Micrurus tener tamaulipensis LAVIN-MURCIO & DIXON 2004 Micrurus tamaulipensis LAVIN-MURCIO & DIXON 2004 Micrurus tamaulipensis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 455 Micrurus tener tamaulipensis — HEIMES 2016: 341 Micrurus tamaulipensis — JOHNSON et al. 2017 |
Distribution | fitzingeri: Mexico (Guanajuato and Queretaro to Morelos, Hidalgo, Durango) 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: ZMH R03028 (formerly no. 5685), male, ded. Dr. E. KALLERT Feb. 10, 1930 [maculatus] Holotype: CAR-ITCV (also as ITCV or ITT) 751, paratypes: CCVUACJ (Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico) [tamaulipensis] Syntype: NMW 18297 [fitzingeri] Holotype: BCB 5381 (Strecker Museum Baylor University Waco) [microgalbineus] Holotype: USNM 1124 [Elaps tristis] |
Diagnosis | Diagnosis (tamaulipensis): Similar to M. tener, but differing in lacking a yellow head ring across the interparietal suture; the presence of a black head cap that extends beyond the tip of the parietal scales four to six scales; the chin and throat are mostly black, occasionally with small obscure red and orange marks. The tail is tricolored, black, yellow, and red. |
Comment | Venomous! Synonymy: Streicher et al. 2016 suggested to synonymize all subspecies with the nominate form, M. tener. Distribution: see map 20 in Campbell & Lamar 2004: 170 |
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. |
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