Micrurus isozonus, also known commonly as the equal-banded coral snake and the Venezuela coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to northern South America. There are two recognized subspecies.
Local common names Local common names for Micrurus isozonus include cobra coral da Venezuela and cobra coral de faixas iguais in Brazilian Portuguese, and coral de franjas iguales in South American Spanish.
Description The color pattern of Micrurus isozonus, like most coral snakes, consists of black, red, and white (or yellow) rings. The black rings are arranged in triads. The first triad is complete, unlike in several other coral snakes. The white rings are usually slightly wider than the black rings. The dorsal scales of the red and white rings are conspicuously black-tipped.
Medium-sized for the genus Micrurus, adults of M. isozonus usually have a total length (tail included) of . The maximum recorded total length is .
Geographic distribution Micrurus isozonus is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela.
Habitat The preferred natural habitats of Micrurus isozonus are forest, savanna, and shrubland, usually near water, at elevations from near sea level to , and it has also been found in disturbed habitats such as pasture.
Behavior Micrurus isozonus is terrestrial.
Diet Micrurus isozonus preys upon terrestrial lizards, such as species of the genus Bachia, and snakes of the family Colubridae. xii + 328 pp., 38 maps, 63 color photographs, 49 color pattern drawings. (Micrurus isozonus, pp. 184–185 + Map 19 + Color 35).
Reproduction Micrurus isozonus is oviparous.
Venom Micrurus isozonus possesses a potent venom which it uses to kill its prey. When "milked" in a laboratory, the average venom yield is 9 mg (dry weight), which is more than the estimated lethal dose for an adult human of 5–7 mg.
Subspecies Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Micrurus isozonus isozonus Micrurus isozonus sandneri – Sandner's coral snake
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Micrurus.
Etymology The specific name, isozonus, is Latin for "equal areas", referring to the approximately equal width of the black and white rings.
The subspecific name, sandneri, is in honor of German-born Venezuelan herpetologist Fernando Sandner Montilla.
References
Further reading
54 pp. (in Spanish, with an abstract in English). (Elaps omissus, new species, pp. 109–110). xiv + 430 pp., 568 figures, 109 distribution maps, 31 tables. (Micrurus isozonus, p. 121). (Elaps isozonus, new species, p. 73). 189 pp. (Micrurus isozonus, p. 115). (Micrurus isozonus, pp. 198–199).