Micrurus stuarti explained

Micrurus stuarti (Stuart's coral snake) is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Guatemala.^[1] There are no recognized subspecies.

Etymology

The specific name, stuarti, is in honor of American herpetologist Laurence Cooper Stuart.^[2]

Common names

Common names for M. stuarti include Stuart's coral snake, and in Spanish: coral de los volcanes and coral de Stuart.

Description

M. stuarti can grow to a total length (including tail) of 74cm (29inches), but most are closer to 50cm–60cmcm (20inches–20inchescm). Its color pattern consists of 13–19 relatively broad black rings and very broad red rings, separated by narrow yellow rings. The dorsal scales are smooth, and the red ones are black-tipped. The number of broad black rings on the tail may vary from 3 to 4, separated by narrow red-brown rings.

Geographic range and habitat

M. stuarti has only been found on the Pacific versant of southwestern Guatemala. Its habitat consists of subtropical wet forest and lower montane wet forest. It may also occur in similar adjacent habitats in southeastern Mexico.

Reproduction

M. stuarti is oviparous.^[3]

Further reading

• Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. 870 pp. (in two volumes). .
• Roze JA (1967). "A Check List of the New World Venomous Coral Snakes (Elapidae), with Descriptions of New Forms". American Museum Novitates (2287): 1-60. (Micrurus stuarti, new species, pp. 47–49, Figure 17).

Notes and References

1. Web site: AFBMP . Micrurus stuarti . AFBMP Living Hazards Database . AFBMP . 2010-08-05 .
2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Micrurus stuarti, p. 257).
3. www.reptile-database.org.