''Calliophis melanurus'', commonly known as the slender coral snake, is a species of
venomous
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a ...
elapid
Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids ; grc, ἔλλοψ ''éllops'' "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 Emydoc ...
snake
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
.
Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...
.
Geographic range
It is found in India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
, and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
The subspecies ''Calliophis melanurus sinhaleyus'' is found in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
References
Further reading
* Boulenger, George A. (1890). ''The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia.'' London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (''"Callophis'' ic''trimaculatus"'', p. 384).
* Deraniyagala, P.E.P. (1951). "Some New Races of the Snakes ''Eryx, Callophis'' icand ''Echis'' ". ''Spolia Zeylanica'' 26:(2) 147–150. (''"Callophis'' ic''melanurus sinhaleyus ssp. nov."'', p. 148).
* Slowinski, Joseph B.; Boundy, Jeff; and Lawson, R. (2001). "The phylogenetic relationships of Asian coral snakes (Elapidae: ''Calliophis'' and ''Maticora'') based on morphological and molecular characters". ''Herpetologica'' 57 (2): 233–245.
* Smith MA (1943). ''The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes.'' London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (''Callophis'' ic''melanurus'', p. 420).
* Wall F (1921). ''Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon.'' Colombo, Ceylon ri Lanka Colombo Museum. (H.R. Cottle, Government Printer). xxii + 581 pp. (''Callophis'' ic''trimaculatus'', pp. 497–501, Figure 90).
External links
Photo
melanurus
Snakes of Asia
Reptiles of Bangladesh
Snakes of India
Reptiles of Sri Lanka
Taxa named by George Shaw
Reptiles described in 1802
{{Elapidae-stub