Erythrolamprus

''Erythrolamprus'' is a genus of colubrid snakes native to Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. They include the false coral snakes, which appear to be coral snake mimics.

Classification

The genus ''Erythrolamprus'' belongs to the subfamily Dipsadinae (which is sometimes referred to as the family Dipsadidae), belonging to the family Colubridae. ''Erythrolamprus'' previously contained just six species, mostly coral snake mimics. However, molecular studies beginning in 2009 determined that ''Erythrolamprus'' was not monophyletic, and thus most of the snakes of the genera '' Liophis'', '' Leimadophis'', and '' Umbrivaga'' were placed into ''Erythrolamprus'', bringing the number of species up to 50.

Description

''Erythrolamprus'' snakes are usually less than in length. They are ground snakes, with lifestyles ranging from fossorial (burrowing) to terrestrial to semi-aquatic, and in habitats ranging from rainforests to savannas to the mountainous páramo, up to above sea level.

Species

These species are currently recognized as being valid.

*'' Erythrolamprus aenigma'' – savannah racer snake
*'' Erythrolamprus aesculapii'' – Aesculapian false coral snake
*'' Erythrolamprus albertguentheri'' – Günther's green liophis
*'' Erythrolamprus albiventris''
*''Erythrolamprus almadensis'' – Almaden ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus andinus''
*''Erythrolamprus atraventer'' – Dixon's ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus bizona'' – double-banded false coral snake
*''Erythrolamprus breviceps'' – short ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus carajasensis''
*''Erythrolamprus ceii''
*'' Erythrolamprus cobella'' – mangrove snake
*''Erythrolamprus cursor'' – Lacépède's ground snake or Martinique ground snake (possibly extinct)
*'' Erythrolamprus dorsocorallinus''
*''Erythrolamprus epinephalus'' – fire-bellied snake
*'' Erythrolamprus festae'' – drab ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus fraseri''
*'' Erythrolamprus frenatus'' – swamp liophis
*'' Erythrolamprus guentheri'' – Günther's false coral snake
*'' Erythrolamprus ingeri''
*''Erythrolamprus jaegeri'' – Jaeger's ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus janaleeae''
*''Erythrolamprus juliae'' – Julia's ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus lamonae''
*'' Erythrolamprus macrosomus''
*'' Erythrolamprus maryellenae'' – Maryellen's ground snake
*''Erythrolamprus melanotus'' – Shaw's dark ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus mertensi'' – Mertens's tropical forest snake
*''Erythrolamprus miliaris'' – military ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus mimus'' – mimic false coral snake
*'' Erythrolamprus mossoroensis''
*''Erythrolamprus ocellatus'' – Tobago false coral snake, red snake
*'' Erythrolamprus oligolepis''
*'' Erythrolamprus ornatus'' – Saint Lucia racer, ornate ground snake
*†'' Erythrolamprus perfuscus'' – tan ground snake, Barbados racer (extinct)
*''Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus''
*'' Erythrolamprus pseudocorallus'' – false coral snake
*''Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae'' – Tobago stream snake
*''Erythrolamprus pyburni'' – Pyburn's tropical forest snake
*'' Erythrolamprus pygmaeus'' – Amazon tropical forest snake
*''Erythrolamprus reginae'' – royal ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus rochai''
*'' Erythrolamprus sagittifer'' – arrow ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus semiaureus''
*'' Erythrolamprus subocularis''
*'' Erythrolamprus taeniogaster''
*'' Erythrolamprus taeniurus'' – thin ground snake
*'' Erythrolamprus torrenicola'' – velvety swamp snake
*'' Erythrolamprus trebbaui''
*'' Erythrolamprus triscalis'' – three-scaled ground snake
*''Erythrolamprus typhlus'' – blind ground snake, velvet swamp snake
*'' Erythrolamprus viridis'' – crown ground snake
*''Erythrolamprus vitti''
*'' Erythrolamprus williamsi'' – Williams' ground snake
*''Erythrolamprus zweifeli'' – braided ground snake, Zweifel's ground snake

'' Nota bene'': A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Erythrolamprus''.

Mimicry

The brightly colored, ringed patterns of some of the snakes of the genus ''Erythrolamprus'' resemble those of sympatric coral snakes of the genus '' Micrurus'', and it has been suggested that this is due to mimicry. Whether this is classical Batesian mimicry, classical Müllerian mimicry, a modified form of Müllerian mimicry, or no mimicry at all, remains to be proven. Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). ''Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition''. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. xi + 378 pp. . (Mimicry in ''Erythrolamprus'', p. 159).

Cited references

Further reading

* Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Liophis atraventer'', p. 73; ''L. guentheri'', p. 111; ''L. jaegeri'', p. 132; ''l. juliae'', p. 137; ''L. melanotus'', p. 241; ''Umbrivaga mertensi'', p. 176; ''Geophis pyburni'', p. 213; ''Liophis williamsi'', p. 286; ''L. reginae zweifeli'', p. 294).
* Wagler J (1830). ''Natürliches System der AMPHIBIEN, mit vorangehender Classification der SAÜGTHIERE und VÖGEL. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie.'' Munich, Stuttgart, and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. (''Erythrolamprus'', new genus, p. 187). (in German and Latin).

{{Taxonbar, from=Q652520

Snake genera
Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler