Coral Snakes

The coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be subdivided into two distinct groups, Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 11 species of Old World coral snake in one genus (Calliophis), and over 65 recognized species of New World coral snakes in three genera (Leptomicrurus, Micruroides, and Micrurus).

Coral snakes are most notable for their red, yellow/white, and black colored banding. (Several nonvenomous species have similar coloration, however, including the Scarlet Kingsnake, the Milk Snake, and the Chionactis occipitalis annulata). In some regions, the order of the bands distinguishes between the non-venomous mimics and the venomous coral snakes, inspiring some folk rhymes — "Red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, friend of Jack", "Red on Yellow Kills a Fellow, Red on Black, Venom Lack," and "Red on yellow kills a fellow; red on black, pat it on the back" or "if red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow (for Coral Snakes); if red touches black, you're okay, Jack (for similar looking Milk Snakes)". However, this only reliably applies to coral snakes native to North America: Micrurus fulvius (Eastern or common), Micrurus tener (Texas), and Micruroides euryxanthus (Arizona), found in the southern and eastern United States. Coral snakes found in other parts of the world can have distinctly different patterns, have red bands touching black bands, have only pink and blue banding, or have no banding at all.

Most species of coral snake are small in size. North American species average around 3 feet (91 cm) in length, but specimens of up to 5 feet (150 cm) or slightly larger have been reported. Aquatic species have flattened tails, to act as a fin, aiding in swimming.

Old World

Calliophis

• Calliophis beddomei – Beddome's Coral Snake
• Calliophis bibroni – Bibron's Coral Snake
• Calliophis bivirgatus – Blue Malaysian Coral Snake
• Calliophis calligaster (Wiegmann, 1835)[verification needed] – Barred Coral Snake (Philippines)
• Calliophis gracilis (Gray, 1835)[verification needed] – Spotted Coral Snake (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore)
• Calliophis haematoetron Smith, Manamendra-Arachchi & Somweera, 2008 – Blood-bellied Coral Snake (Sri Lanka)
• Calliophis intestinalis (Laurenti, 1768) – Banded Malaysian Coral Snake (Indonesia and Malaysia)
• Calliophis kelloggi (Pope, 1928)[verification needed] – Kellogg's Coral Snake (Vietnam, Laos, China)
• Calliophis maculiceps (Günther, 1858)[verification needed] – Speckled Coral Snake (Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos)
• Calliophis melanurus – Indian Coral Snake
• Calliophis nigrescens – Black Coral Snake

Leptomicrurus

• Guyana Blackback Coral Snake Leptomicrurus collaris - northern South America.
  • Leptomicrurus collaris collaris (Schlegel, 1837)
  • Leptomicrurus collaris breviventris (Roze & Bernal-Carlo, 1987)
• Andes/Andean Blackback Coral Snake, Leptomicrurus narduccii
  • Leptomicrurus narduccii narduccii (Jan, 1863)
  • Leptomicrurus narduccii melanotus (Peters, 1881)

• Arizona Coral Snake, Micruroides euryxanthus - lowland regions from Arizona to Sinaloa.
  • Micruroides euryxanthus australis (Zweifel & Norris, 1955)
  • Micruroides euryxanthus euryxanthus (Kennicott, 1860)
  • Micruroides euryxanthus neglectus (Roze, 1967)

• Allen's Coral Snake, Micrurus alleni - eastern Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
  • Micrurus alleni alleni (Schmidt, 1936)
  • Micrurus alleni richardi (Taylor, 1951)
  • Micrurus alleni yatesi (Taylor, 1954)
• Micrurus altirostris (Cope, 1860) - Brazil, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina.
• Regal Coral Snake, Micrurus ancoralis - southeastern Panama, western Colombia, and western Ecuador
  • Micrurus ancoralis jani (Schmidt, 1936)
  • Micrurus ancoralis ancoralis (Jan, 1872)
• Annellated Coral Snake, Micrurus annellatus - southeastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, Bolivia, and western Brazil.
  • Micrurus annellatus annellatus (Peters, 1871)
  • Micrurus annellatus balzanii (Boulenger, 1898)
  • Micrurus annellatus bolivianus (Roze, 1967)
• Black-headed Coral Snake, Micrurus averyi (Schmidt, 1939)
• Micrurus bernadi (Cope, 1887) - Mexico.
• Ecuadorian Coral Snake, Micrurus bocourti (Jan, 1872) - western Ecuador to northern Colombia,
• Bogert's Coral Snake, Micrurus bogerti (Roze, 1967) - Oaxaca.
• Brown's Coral Snake, Micrurus browni - Quintana Roo to Honduras.
  • Micrurus browni browni (Schmidt & Smith, 1943)
  • Micrurus browni importunus (Roze, 1967)
  • Micrurus browni Taylori (Schmidt & Smith, 1943)
• Micrurus camilae (Renjifo & Lundberg, 2003) - Colombia.
• Catamayo Coral Snake, Micrurus catamayensis (Roze, 1989) - Catamayo Valley of Ecuador.
• Clark's Coral Snake, Micrurus clarki (Schmidt, 1936) - southeastern Costa Rica to western Colombia.
• Painted Coral Snake, Micrurus corallinus (Merrem, 1820)
• Brazilian Coral Snake, Micrurus decoratus (Jan, 1858)
• Micrurus diana (Roze, 1983
• Variable Coral Snake, Micrurus diastema
  • Micrurus diastema diastema (Duméril, Bibron, & Duméril, 1854)
  • Micrurus diastema aglaeope (Cope, 1859)
  • Micrurus diastema alienus (Werner, 1903)
  • Micrurus diastema affinis (Jan, 1858)
  • Micrurus diastema apiatus (Jan, 1858)
  • Micrurus diastema macdougalli (Roze, 1967)
  • Micrurus diastema sapperi (Werner, 1903)
• Pygmy Coral Snake, Micrurus dissoleucus
  • Micrurus dissoleucus dissoleucus (Cope, 1860)
  • Micrurus dissoleucus dunni (Barbour, 1923)
  • Micrurus dissoleucus melanogenys (Cope, 1860)
  • Micrurus dissoleucus meridensis (Roze, 1989)
  • Micrurus dissoleucus nigrirostris (Schmidt, 1955)
• West Mexican Coral Snake, Micrurus distans
  • Micrurus distans distans (Kennicott, 1860)
  • Micrurus distans michoacanensis (Duges, 1891)
  • Micrurus distans oliveri (Roze, 1967)
  • Micrurus distans zweifeli (Roze, 1967)
• Micrurus dumerilii
  • Micrurus dumerili antioquiensis (Schmidt, 1936)
  • Micrurus dumerili carinicaudus (Schmidt, 1936)
  • Micrurus carinicauda (Schmidt, 1936)
  • Micrurus dumerili colombianus (Griffin, 1916)
  • Micrurus dumerili transandinus (Schmidt, 1936)
  • Micrurus dumerili venezuelensis (Roze, 1989)
• Elegant Coral Snake, Micrurus elegans
  • Micrurus elegans elegans (Jan, 1858)
  • Micrurus elegans veraepacis (Schmidt, 1933)
• Oaxacan Coral Snake, Micrurus ephippifer
  • Micrurus ephippifer zapotecus (Roze, 1989)
  • Micrurus ephippifer ephippifer (Cope, 1886)
• Slender Coral Snake, Micrurus filiformis
  • Micrurus filiformis filiformis (Günther, 1859)
  • Micrurus filiformis subtilis (Roze, 1967)
• Southern Coral Snake, Micrurus frontalis - Brazil to northeastern Argentina.
  • Micrurus frontalis frontalis (Duméril, Bibron, & Duméril, 1854)
  • Micrurus frontalis brasiliensis (Roze, 1967)
  • Micrurus frontalis mesopotamicus (Barrio & Miranda 1967)
• Bolivian Coral Snake, Micrurus frontifasciatus (Werner, 1927)
• Eastern Coral Snake, Micrurus fulvius (Linnaeus, 1766) - coastal plains of North Carolina to Louisiana
• Hemprich's Coral Snake, Micrurus hemprichii
  • Micrurus hemprichii hemprichii (Jan, 1858)
  • Micrurus hemprichii ortoni (Schmidt, 1953)
  • Micrurus hemprichii rondonianus (Roze & Da Silva[disambiguation needed], 1990)
• Mayan Coral Snake, Micrurus hippocrepis (Peters, 1862)
• Caatinga Coral Snake, Micrurus ibiboboca (Merrem, 1820)
• Venezuela Coral Snake, Micrurus isozonus (Cope, 1860)
• Langsdorff's Coral Snake, Micrurus langsdorffi
  • Micrurus langsdorffi langsdorffi (Wagler, 1824)
  • Micrurus langsdorffi ornatissimus (Jan, 1858)
• Balsan Coral Snake, Micrurus laticollaris
  • Micrurus laticollaris laticollaris (Peters, 1870)
  • Micrurus laticollaris maculirostris (Roze, 1967)
• Broad-ringed Coral Snake, Micrurus latifasciatus (Schmidt, 1933)
• South American Coral Snake, Micrurus lemniscatus - most of low lying areas of South America.
  • Micrurus lemniscatus lemniscatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Micrurus lemniscatus carvalhoi (Roze, 1967)
  • Micrurus lemniscatus diutius (Burger, 1955)
  • Micrurus lemniscatus frontifasciatus (Werner, 1927)
  • Micrurus lemniscatus helleri (Schmidt & Schmidt, 1925)
• Tuxtlan Coral Snake, Micrurus limbatus
  • Micrurus limbatus limbatus (Fraser, 1964)
  • Micrurus limbatus spilosomus (Perez-Higaredo & Smith, 1990)
• Speckled Coral Snake, Micrurus margaritiferus (Roze, 1967)
• Micrurus medemi (Roze, 1967)
• Mertens' Coral Snake, Micrurus mertensi (Schmidt, 1936)
• Redtail Coral Snake, Micrurus mipartitus
  • Micrurus mipartitus mipartitus (Duméril, Bibron, & Duméril, 1854)
  • Micrurus mipartitus anomalus (Boulenger, 1896)
  • Micrurus mipartitus decussatus (Duméril, Bibron, & Duméril, 1854)
  • Micrurus mipartitus semipartitus (Jan, 1858)
• Many-banded Coral Snake, Micrurus multifasciatus
  • Micrurus multifasciatus multifasciatus (Jan, 1858)
  • Micrurus multifasciatus hertwigi (Werner, 1897)
• Cauca Coral Snake, Micrurus multiscutatus (Rendahl & Vestergren, 1940)
• Cloud Forest Coral Snake, Micrurus nebularis (Roze, 1989)
• Central American Coral Snake, Micrurus nigrocinctus - Yucatan and Chiapas to Colombia as well as western Caribbean islands
  • Micrurus nigrocinctus babaspul (Roze, 1967)
  • Micrurus nigrocinctus coibensis (Schmidt, 1936)
  • Micrurus nigrocinctus divaricatus (Hallowell, 1855)
  • Micrurus nigrocinctus mosquitensis (Schmidt, 1933)
  • Micrurus nigrocinctus nigrocinctus (Girard, 1854)
  • Micrurus nigrocinctus ovandoensis (Schmidt & Smith, 1943)
  • Micrurus nigrocinctus wagneri (Mertens, 1941)
  • Micrurus nigrocinctus yatesi (Dunn, 1942)
  • Micrurus nigrocinctus zunilensis (Schmidt, 1932)
• Micrurus pacaraimae (Morata de Carvalho, 2002)
• Micrurus pachecogili (Campbell, 2000)
• Micrurus paraensis (Da Cunha & Nascimento, 1973)
• Peruvian Coral Snake, Micrurus peruvianus (Schmidt, 1936)
• Peters' Coral Snake, Micrurus petersi (Roze, 1967)
• Nayarit Coral Snake, Micrurus proximans (Smith & Chrapliwy, 1958)
• Carib Coral Snake, Micrurus psyches
  • Micrurus psyches circinalis (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
  • Micrurus psyches donosoi (Hoge, Cordeiro, & Romano, 1976)
  • Micrurus psyches psyches (Daudin, 1803)
• Putumayo Coral Snake, Micrurus putumayensis (Lancini, 1962)
• Micrurus pyrrhocryptus (Cope, 1862)
• Micrurus remotus (Roze, 1987)
• Micrurus renjifoi (Lamar, 2003)
• Roatan Coral Snake, Micrurus ruatanus (Günther, 1895)
• Santander Coral Snake, Micrurus sangilensis (Nicéforo-Maria, 1942)
• Micrurus scutiventris (Hoge, & Romano-Hoge, 1966)
• Micrurus silviae Di-Bernardo et al., 2007
• Amazon Coral Snake, Micrurus spixii
  • Micrurus spixii spixii (Wagler, 1824)
  • Micrurus spixiii martiusi (Schmidt, 1953)
  • Micrurus spixii obscurus (Jan, 1872)
  • Micrurus spixii princeps (Boulenger, 1905)
• Micrurus spurelli (Boulenger, 1914)
• Steindachner's Coral Snake, Micrurus steindachneri
  • Micrurus steindachneri steindachneri (Werner, 1901)
  • Micrurus steindachneri orcesi (Roze, 1967)
• Panamanian Coral Snake, Micrurus stewarti (Barbour & Amaral, 1928)
• Stuart's Coral Snake, Micrurus stuarti (Roze, 1967)
• Aquatic Coral Snake, Micrurus surinamensis
  • Micrurus surinamensis surinamensis (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Micrurus surinamensis nattereri (Schmidt, 1952)
• Micrurus tamaulipensis (Lavin-Murcio & Dixon, 2004) - Sierra Madre Oriental in Tamaulipas.
• Texas Coral Snake, Micrurus tener - Texas and Louisiana south to Morelos and Guanajuato.
  • Micrurus tener fitzingeri (Jan, 1858)
  • Micrurus tener maculatus (Roze, 1967)
  • Micrurus tener microgalbineus (Brown, & Smith, 1942)
  • Micrurus tener tener (Baird, & Girard, 1853)
• Micrurus tricolor (Hoge, 1956)
• Desert Coral Snake, Micrurus tschudii (Jan, 1858)
  • Micrurus tschudii olssoni (Schmidt & Schmidt, 1925)
  • Micrurus tschudii tschudii (Jan, 1858)