Micrurus langsdorffi, also known commonly as the confused coral snake and Langsdorff's coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to northwestern South America. www.reptile-database.org.
Local common names Local common names for Micrurus langsdorffi include cobra coral confusa in Brazilian Portuguese, and coral confundida in South American Spanish.
Etymology The specific name, langsdorfii, is in honor of German naturalist Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff.Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Micrurus langsdorffi, p. 150).
Description Medium-sized for the genus Micrurus, adults of Micrurus langsdorffi usually have a total length (tail included) of . The maximum recorded total length is .
The color pattern of M. langsdorffi is very variable. It is basically a combination of red, white (or yellow), and black rings, arranged singly (not in triads). However, some of the colors may be missing or replaced by brown or gray. Also, the black rings may not extend across the ventral scales, and the white rings may be reduced to a series of pearl-like dots.
Geographic range Micrurus langsdorffi is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus langsdorffi is forest, at altitudes of .
Behavior Micrurus langsdorffi is primarily terrestrial, but it has been observed swimming across rivers.
Diet Micrurus langsdorffi preys predominately upon snakes (ophiophagy). Prey items include blind snakes such as Amerotyphlops reticulatus and species of the subfamily Epictinae, as well as species of the family Colubridae. xii + 328 pp., 38 maps, 63 color photographs, 49 color pattern drawings. (Micrurus langsdorffi, pp. 185–186 + Map 19 + Color 36–37).
Reproduction Micrurus langsdorffi is oviparous.
References
Further reading
(Micrurus mimosus, new species, pp. 221–222). (in Portuguese). Boulenger, G.A. (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ), Amblycephalidæ, and Viperidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. ("Elaps langsdorffii [sic]", p. 416). xiv + 430 pp., 568 figures, 109 distribution maps, 31 tables. (Elaps imperator, new species, p. 110). Freiberg, M. (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. . (Micrurus langsdorffi, p. 115). + Plates XVII–XIX. (Elaps batesi, new species, p. 428 + Plate XVII, figure D). Roze, J. (1967). "A Checklist of the New World Venomous Coral Snakes (Elapidae), with Descriptions of New Forms". American Museum Novitates (2287): 1–60. (Micrurus langsdorffi, p. 30). Wagler, J. (1824). Serpentum Brasiliensum species novae ou histoire naturelle des espèces nouvelles de serpens, recueillies et observées pendant le voyage dans l'intérieur du Brésil dans les années 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, exécuté par ordre de sa Majesté le Roi de Baviére. Munich: F.S. Hübschmann. viii + 75 pp. + Plates I–XXVI. (Elaps langsdorffi, new species, pp. 10–12 + Plate II, figure 1). (in Latin and French).