Summary
Micrurus hemprichii, commonly known as Hemprich's coral snake and the worm-eating coral snake, is a species of venomous coral snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to South America.[1][2]
| Micrurus hemprichii | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. hemprichii
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| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus hemprichii (Jan, 1858)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Etymology edit
The specific name, hemprichii, is in honor of German naturalist Wilhelm Friedrich Hemprich.[3]
Habitat edit
Hemprich's coral snake occurs in forests at elevations below 1,000 m (3,300 ft), including lower montane wet forest, gallery forest, and primary and secondary rain forest. It is a cryptic species living in leaf litter of the forest floor.[1]
Diet edit
Hemprich's coral snake feeds heavily on velvet worms,[4] but also on small snakes and amphisbaenids.[1]
Geographic range edit
M. hemprichii is found in the upper Amazon Basin, Guiana Highlands, and upper Orinoco Basin in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana,Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.[1][2]
Subspecies edit
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid.[2]
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Micrurus.
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Ines Hladki, A.; Ramírez Pinilla, M.; Renjifo, J.; Urbina, N.; Valencia, J.; Gagliardi, G.; Catenazzi, A.; Nogueira, C.; Schargel, W.; Rivas, G. (2019). "Micrurus hemprichii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T15202882A15202891. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T15202882A15202891.en. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d Micrurus hemprichii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 16 February 2016.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Micrurus hemprichii, pp. 120).
- ^ Monge Nájera J, Barrientos Z, Aguilar F (1993). "Behavior of Epiperipatus biolleyi (Onychophora: Peripatidae) under laboratory conditions". Revista de Biologica Tropical. 41 (3): 689–696.
Further reading edit
- Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Elaps hemprichii, p. 421).
- Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Micrurus hemprichii, p. 115).
- Jan [G] (1858). "Plan d'une Iconographie descriptive des Ophidiens et Description sommaire de nouvelles espèces de Serpents ". Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée, Paris, 2e Série [Series 2] 10: 438-449, 514–527. (Elaps hemprichii, new species, pp. 523–524). (in French).
- Schmidt KP (1953). "Hemprich's Coral Snake Micrurus hemprichi [sic]". Fieldiana Zool. 34 (13): 165-170. (Micrurus hemprichi [sic] ortoni, new subspecies, pp. 166–168).
External links edit
- "Micrurus hemprichii " at Coral Snakes of the World. https://web.archive.org/web/20160405124918/http://www.coralsnake.net/micrurus/hemprichs-coral-snake.html