Micrurus hippocrepis, also known commonly as the Belize coral snake, the Mayan coral snake, and coralillo de Belize in Central American Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Central America. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
Description Medium-sized for the genus Micrurus, adults of Micrurus hippocrepis usually have a total length (tail included) of , and the longest recorded total length is .
Like most coral snakes the color pattern consists of red, black, and yellow rings. The red rings are extremely wide. The black rings are narrow and not arranged in triads. The yellow rings, which separate the red from the black, are the narrowest.
Geographic distribution Micrurus hippocrepis is found in Belize and Guatemala. www.reptile-database.org.
Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus hippocrepis is forest, at elevations of .
Behavior Micrurus hippocrepis is terrestrial and semifossorial.
Diet Micrurus hippocrepis preys upon small snakes of the family Colubridae, especially Ninia sebae. xii + 328 pp., 38 maps, 63 color photographs, 49 color pattern drawings. (Micrurus hippocrepis, pp. 182–183 + Map 22 + Color 33).
Reproduction Micrurus hippocrepis is oviparous.
Etymology The specific name hippocrepis, Greek for "horseshoe", refers to a marking on the snake's head which may resemble a horseshoe.
References
Further reading
xii + 380 pp. xiv + 430 pp., 568 figures, 109 distribution maps, 31 tables. 416 pp. (Micrurus hippocrepis, p. 358). (Elaps hippocrepis, new species, p. 925). (in German). (Micrurus affinis hippocrepis, p. 214).