Oxyrhopus melanogenys, commonly known as Tschudi's false coral snake, is a colubrid snake species found in the northern part of South America.
Description Adults may attain a total length of , which includes a tail long.
Dorsally, it is red or reddish brown, with the dorsal scales black-edged or black-tipped. There may be a few black crossbands in groups of three (triads) on the anterior portion of the body. The top of the head and the nape of the neck are black. Ventrally, it is yellowish.Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ),... Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) London. xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I.- XXV. (Oxyrhopus melanogenys, p. 105.) It is often confused with Oxyrhopus trigeminus.
The dorsal scales are smooth, with apical pits, and are arranged in 19 rows at midbody.
Subspecies There are two subspecies, including the nominate subspecies:Oxyrhopus melanogenys. Catalogue of Life: 2010 Annual ChecklistNo subspecies are currently recognized by ITIS. See: Oxyrhopus melanogenys melanogenys (Tschudi, 1845) Oxyrhopus melanogenys orientalis Cunha & Nascimento, 1983
Geographic range O. m. melanogenys is native to Bolivia, Peru, Brazil (Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará), Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela (Amazonas, Bolívar).
O. m. orientalis is found in Peru and Brazil (Pará).
References
Further reading Cunha, O.R. da, and F.P. do Nascimento. 1983. Os Ofidios da Amazônia. XIX. As espécies de Oxyrhopus Wagler, com uma subespécie nova, e Pseudoboa Schneider, na Amazônia orientale e Maranhão (Ophidia: Colubridae). Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Nova Série, Zoologia (112): 1-42. (Oxyrhopus melanogenys orientalis) Tschudi, J.J. 1845. Reptilium conspectus quae in Republica Peruana reperiuntur et pleraque observata vel collecta sunt in itinere. Archiv für Naturgeshichte 11 (1): 150–170. (Sphenocephalus melanogenys, p. 163.)