Micrurus ancoralis, also known commonly as the anchor coral snake and the regal coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to extreme southeastern Central America and adjacent northwestern South America. There are two recognized subspecies.
Description Dorsally, Micrurus ancoralis has a red head, followed by a black anchor-shaped marking on the neck. The body color pattern consists of black, white, and red rings. The black rings are in triads enclosing white rings, and the triads are separated by red rings.
The ventrals number 248–266 in males and 271–290 in females.
Long and heavy-bodied for its genus, as an adult M. ancoralis is usually in total length (tail included), but the maximum recorded total length is . xii + 328 pp., 38 maps, 63 color photographs, 49 color pattern drawings. (Micrurus ancoralis, pp. 140–141 + Map 7 + Color 7 + Pattern 3).
Geographic distribution Micrurus ancoralis is found in southeastern Panama, western Colombia, and western Ecuador.
Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus ancoralis is forest, at elevations from sea level to , but it has also been found in artificial habitats such as banana plantations.
Behavior Micrurus ancoralis is terrestrial and semifossorial.
Diet Micrurus ancoralis preys on amphisbaenians, such as Amphisbaena fuliginosa, and small snakes, such as Ninia atrata.
Reproduction Micrurus ancoralis is oviparous.
Subspecies Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Micrurus ancoralis ancoralis Micrurus ancoralis jani
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Micrurus.
Etymology The subspecific name, jani, is in honor of Italian herpetologist Giorgio Jan.Schmidt, K.P. (1936).
References
Further reading
xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. (Elaps ancoralis, pp. 432–433). + Plates X–XVIII. (Elaps rosenbergi, new species, p. 117 + Plate XIII, three views of head and neck). 189 pp. (Micrurus ancoralis, p. 114 Jan, G. (1872). In: Index + Plates I–VI. (Elaps Marcgravi var. ancoralis, new variety, Plate IV, figure 2). (in French). (Micrurus ancoralis jani, new subspecies, pp. 197–198).