Micrurus hippocrepis
Species of snake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Micrurus hippocrepis, also known commonly as the Belize coral snake, the Mayan coral snake, and coralillo de Belize in Central American Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Central America.[2] There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.[3]
| Micrurus hippocrepis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. hippocrepis |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus hippocrepis (W. Peters, 1861) | |
 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Description
Medium-sized for the genus Micrurus, adults of Micrurus hippocrepis usually have a total length (tail included) of 47–65 cm (19–26 in), and the longest recorded total length is 71 cm (28 in).[4]
Like most coral snakes the color pattern consists of red, black, and yellow rings. The red rings are extremely wide. The black rings are narrow and not arranged in triads. The yellow rings, which separate the red from the black, are the narrowest.[4]
Geographic distribution
Habitat
Behavior
Micrurus hippocrepis is terrestrial and semifossorial.[1]
Diet
Micrurus hippocrepis preys upon small snakes of the family Colubridae, especially Ninia sebae.[4]
Reproduction
Etymology
The specific name hippocrepis, Greek for "horseshoe", refers to a marking on the snake's head which may resemble a horseshoe.[2]