Sinomicrurus sauteri (common names: Taiwan coral snake, oriental coral snake and Formosa coral snake) is a species of highly venomous coral snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Taiwan and known from southern and central Taiwan at elevations of above sea level.
Etymology The specific name, sauteri, is in honor of German entomologist (1871–1943).Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Sinomicrurus sauteri, p. 233).
Description S. sauteri grows to in total length (including tail). The upper side of the body is dark brown or crimson, and has three black longitudinal stripes from neck to tip of tail, of which the mid-dorsal stripe is narrower than the lateral ones.
Venom S. sauteri is highly venomous. Although it is not aggressive and very few reports of bites have been reported, its venom is potentially life-threatening.
Habitat S. sauteri may be found in forests or meadows in mountainous areas at lower or middle altitudes.
Behavior S. sauteri is terrestrial and typically nocturnal.
Diet The diet of S. sauteri is unknown.
Reproduction S. sauteri is oviparous.
Conservation status S. sauteri is a rare species protected by the law. It is not considered threatened.
References
Further reading Slowinski, Joseph B; Boundy, Jeff; Lawson, Robin (2001). "The Phylogenetic Relationships of Asian Coral Snakes (Elapidae: Calliophis and Maticora) Based on Morphological and Molecular Characters". Herpetologica 57 (2): 233–245. (Sinomicrurus sauteri, new combination). Steindachner F (1913). "Über zwei neue Schlangenarten von Formosa ". Anzeiger der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse 50: 218–220. (Oligodon sauteri, new species, pp. 219–220). (in German).