Micrurus filiformis
Species of snake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Micrurus filiformis, also known commonly as the slender coral snake and the thread coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to northern South America. There are no recognized subspecies.[2]
| Micrurus filiformis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. filiformis |
| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus filiformis (Günther, 1859) | |
 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Local common names
Local common names for Micrurus filiformis include cobra coral fio (meaning "wire coral snake") in Brazilian Portuguese, and coral hebra (meaning "strand coral snake") in South American Spanish.[3]
Description
In Günther's 1859 original description of Micrurus filiformis (as Elaps filiformis), he summarized its appearance as follows:
"Exceedingly slender. Only one posterior ocular shield. Body surrounded by black rings, always three together; muzzle, and a cross-band between the eyes, black."
The red rings, which alternate with the triads of black and white, are immaculate or have very few black-tipped scales. M. filiformis has a very high number of ventrals: 275–333 in females, and 270–316 in males. Medium-sized for the genus Micrurus, adults of M. filiformis usually have a total length (tail included) of 45–58 cm (18–23 in). The maximum recorded total length is 96 cm (38 in).[3]
Geographic distribution
Habitat
Behavior
Micrurus filiformis is terrestrial.[1]
Diet
Micrurus filiformis preys upon invertebrates, amphisbaenians, lizards, and snakes.[1]