''Micrurus diana'', also known
commonly as Diana's coral snake, is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
venomous snake
''Venomous snakes'' are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Elapidae
Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids , from , variant of "sea-fish") is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus '' Emydocephalus ...
. The species is native to
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''diana'', is dedicated to the goddess
Diana.
[ www.reptile-database.org.]
Geographic range
Specimens of ''M. diana'' have been identified in
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
(
Tucavaca Valley Municipal Reserve)
[ and ]Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
(Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...
).[
]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
of ''M. diana'' is undisturbed forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
, at altitudes of .[
]
Description
''M. diana'' has a color pattern of red, white, and black rings, which are arranged in triads. The snout and chin are white.[
]
Reproduction
''M. diana'' is oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Harvey MB, Aparicio J, Gonzales L (2003). "Revision of the venomous snakes of Bolivia: Part 1. The coralsnakes (Elapidae: ''Micrurus''). ''Annals of Carnegie Museum'' 72: 1–52.
* Pires MG, Feitosa DT, Prudente ALC, Silva NJ Jr (2013). "First record of ''Micrurus diana'' Roze, 1983 (Serpentes: Elapidae) for Brazil and extension of its distribution in Bolivia, with notes on morphological variation". ''Check List'' 9 (6): 1556–1560.
* Roze JA (1983). "New World coral snakes (Elapidae): a taxonomic and biological summary ". ''Memórias do Instituto Butantan'' 46: 305–338. (''Micrurus frontalis diana'', new subspecies).
*Roze JA (1994). "Notes on taxonomy of venomous coral snakes (Elapidae) of South America". ''Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society'' 30: 177–185. (''Micrurus diana'', new status).
diana
Reptiles of Bolivia
Snakes of Brazil
Reptiles described in 1983
Taxa named by Janis Roze
{{Elapidae-stub