Erythrolamprus bizona, commonly known as the double-banded false coral snake, is a species of colubrid snake, which is found in northern South America and Central America.
Classification Erythrolamprus bizona belongs to the genus Erythrolamprus, which contains over 50 species. The genus Erythrolamprus belongs to the subfamily Dipsadinae, which is sometimes referred to as the family Dipsadidae. The relationships of Erythrolamprus species located in northern South America (Venezuela) can be shown in the cladogram below, based on molecular DNA analysis:
Geographic range It is found in Colombia, Venezuela,Freiberg, M.A. 1982. Snakes of South America. T.F.H. Publications. Hong Kong. 189 pp. . (Erythrolamprus bizona, p. 98.) Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and on the island of Trinidad (in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago).
Mimicry Similar in pattern to a coral snake, this species probably gains protection through mimicry.
Diet It feeds mainly on other snakes.
Habitat It is a forest dweller, often found in the leaf litter or burrowed in the soil in rain forests.
Symbiotic relationship It burrows primarily near the Pouteria caimito, commonly known as the abiu, a tropical fruit tree, the nutrients of which supply the snake's clutch of eggs. In turn the tree is fertilized by the snake's urine and embryotic fluid.
References
Further reading
(Erythrolamprus aesculapii [var.] bizona, pp. 314–316.)