Micrurus narduccii

Micrurus narduccii
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Micrurus
Species:	M. narduccii
Binomial name
Micrurus narduccii (Jan, 1863)
Synonyms[2]
Elaps narducciiJan, 1863 Leptomicrurus narduccii(Jan, 1863) Elaps scutiventrisCope, 1870

Micrurus narduccii, also known commonly as the Andean blackback coral snake, the Andean black coral snake, and Jan's thread coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the familyElapidae. The species is native to northwestern South America. There are two recognized subspecies.^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, narduccii, is in honor of Italian-born Bolivian naturalist Louis Narducci.^{[2][3]: 187}

Description

Micrurus narduccii may attain a total length of 72 cm (28 in), including a tail length of 5 cm (2.0 in). The dorsal scales are smooth, without apical pits, and arranged in 15 rows at midbody. The anal plate is divided, and the subcaudals are divided (paired). The venter is black, with yellow crossbands or transversely oval spots.^[4]

Geographic distribution

Micrurus narducciiis found on the Amazonian slopes of the Andes,^[1] in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, northwestern Bolivia, northwestern Brazil, and eastern Peru.^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus narduccii is forest, at elevations of 100–1,500 m (330–4,920 ft).^[1]

Behavior

Micrurus narduccii is terrestrial and semifossorial, foraging in leaf litter and sheltering under fallen tree trunks.^[1]

Reproduction

Micrurus narduccii is oviparous.^[2]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.^[2]

• Micrurus narduccii narduccii(Jan, 1863)
• Micrurus narduccii melanotus(W. Peters, 1881)

References

1. Aguayo, R.; Cisneros-Heredia, D.F.; Embert, D.; Aparicio, J.; Muñoz, A.; Valencia, J.; Gonzales, L.; Gagliardi, G. (2016). "Micrurus narduccii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T44581885A44581894. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T44581885A44581894.en. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
2. "Leptomicrurus narduccii ". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
3. Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. xiii + 296. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.
4. Boulenger, G.A. (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III. Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), Amblycephalidæ, and Viperidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. (Elaps narduccii, p. 433).

Further reading

• Freiberg, M. (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Micrurus narduccii, p. 113).
• Jan, G. (1863). "Enumerazione sistematica degli ofidi appartenenti al gruppo Coronellidae". Archivio per la zoologia, l'anatomia e la fisiologia. 2: 213–330. (Elaps narduccii, new species, p. 222). (in Italian).
• Peters, W. (1881). "Über das Vorkommen schildförmiger Verbreiterungen der Dornfortsätze bei Schlangen und über neue oder weniger bekannte Arten dieser Abtheilung der Reptilien ". Sitzung-Berichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin. 1881: 49–52. (Elaps melanotus, new species, p. 51). (in German).
• Roze, J.A.; Bernal-Carlo, A. (1988). "Las serpientes corales venenosa del género Leptomicrurus (Serpentes, Elapidae) de Suramérica con descripción de una nueva subespecie". Bollettino del Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali di Torino. 5: 573–608. (in Spanish).