Micrurus averyi, also known commonly as Avery's coral snake and the black-headed coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is indigenous to northern South America.
Etymology The specific name, averyi, is in honor of American financier Sewell Avery, who funded the expedition during which the holotype was collected.Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Micrurus averyi, p. 13).
Geographic distribution Micrurus averyi is found in southern Guyana (in the headwaters of Courantyne River), southern Suriname, and Brazil (Pará, Amazonas, Mato Grosso).
Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus averyi is forest, at altitudes of .
Description The head of Micrurus averyi is almost completely black, and there is no nuchal ring. The relatively few black rings on the body are not grouped in triads. The maximum recorded total length (tail included) is .
Reproduction Micrurus averyi is oviparous.
References
Further reading
Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. . (Micrurus averyi, p. 114). xii + 328 pp., 38 maps, 63 color photographs, 49 color pattern drawings. (Micrurus averyi, p. 144 + Map 3 + Color 9). Schmidt KP (1939). "A New Coral Snake from British Guiana". Zoological Series of Field Museum of Natural History 24 (6): 45–47. (Micrurus averyi, new species). Vanzolini PE (1985). "Micrurus averyi Schmidt, 1939, in central Amazonia (Serpentes, Elapidae)". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo 36 (8): 77–85.