Published February 21, 2024. Open access. | Gallery ❯ |
Coral Ground Snake (Atractus elaps)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Colubridae | Atractus elaps
English common names: Coral Ground Snake, Black Ground Snake.
Spanish common name: Tierrera coral, falsa coral tierrera.
Recognition: ♂♂ 58.8 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=47 cm. ♀♀ 62.6 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=57.2 cm..1,2 Atractus elaps can be confused with other snakes having coralsnake patterns, including true coralsnakes of the genus Micrurus.1 The presence of complete black rings regularly arranged in triads is a characteristic found in true coralsnakes, but usually not in A. elaps. The black rings in the Coral Ground Snake are irregularly arranged, including patterns of dyads (Fig. 1) and even groups of 19 black rings.2 Some individuals exhibit dorsal and lateral fusion of the dark bands giving an appearance of the absence of bands.3 This species differs from other false coralsnakes in its area of distribution by having small eyes and a round head similar in width to the neck.1
Figure 1: Individuals of Atractus elaps from Ecuador: El Paraíso, Sucumbíos province (); Tamandúa Reserve, Pastaza province (); Yarina Lodge, Orellana province (). j=juvenile.
Natural history: Atractus elaps is a semi-fossorial snake that inhabits pristine lowland rainforests,1–4 secondary forests, clearings,1 agricultural fields,2 and rural gardens.2 Coral Ground Snakes have been seen foraging on the forest floor at night or during the day,1,5 as well as hidden under leaf-litter or in rotten logs and stumps.1–6 One individual was swimming in a forest stream2 and another one was foun inside a house.1 Only earthworms have been recorded as prey items in this species,1,3 suggesting a degree of diet specialization. The prey is consumed in a “a grab and swallow” technique.7 These harmless and shy snakes avoid predation by virtue of their coralsnake coloration. If disturbed, they may flatten their body dorsoventrally or curl and display their bright tail as a decoy in a way similar to the behavior of true coralsnakes.3,4 They may also try to poke with their sharp tail-tip.5 Gravid females of A. elaps have been found to contain six eggs,1 but the real clutch size is not know.
Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..8 Atractus elaps is listed in this category primarily because the species has a wide distribution spanning numerous protected areas.8 Although the species as a whole is considered to be facing no major immediate extinction threats, some populations are destined to disappear due to the combined effects of agricultural expansion and traffic mortality.8,9
Distribution: Atractus elaps is native the western Amazon basin in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador (Fig. 2), Peru, and Venezuela.
Figure 2: Distribution of Atractus elaps in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The name Atractus, which is a latinization of the Greek word άτρακτος (=spindle),10–12 probably refers to the fact that snakes of this genus have a uniform width throughout the body and a narrow tail, resembling an antique spindle used to spin fibers. The specific epithet elaps (a genus name previously used for some coralsnakes) probably refers to the the coloration, which mimics that of true coralsnakes.
See it in the wild: Atractus elaps is found at a rate of about once every few weeks throughout the Amazon of Ecuador. The area having the greatest number of recent observations is the environs of the town Puyo, where the snakes have been found primarily along forest trails at different hours of the day.
Author: Alejandro ArteagaaAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.
Photographer: Jose VieirabAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,cAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.
How to cite? Arteaga A (2024) Coral Ground Snake (Atractus elaps). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/SJKN4037
Literature cited:
- Savage JM (1960) A revision of the Ecuadorian snakes of the Colubrid genus Atractus. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, Univesity of Michigan 112: 1–184.
- Dixon JR, Soini P (1986) The reptiles of the upper Amazon Basin, Iquitos region, Peru. Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, 154 pp.
- Dixon JR, Thomas RA, Greene HW (1976) Status of the neotropical snake Rhabdosoma poeppigi Jan, with notes on variation in Atractus elaps (Günther). Herpetologica 32: 221–227.
- Duellman WE (2005) Cusco amazónico: the lives of amphibians and reptiles in an Amazonian rainforest. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 433 pp.
- Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
- Silva Haad J (2004) Las serpientes del género Atractus Wagler, 1828 (Colubridae, Xenodontinae) en la Amazonia colombiana. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales 28: 409–446.
- Whitworth A, Beirne C (2011) Reptiles of the Yachana Reserve. Global Vision International, Exeter, 130 pp.
- Ortega A, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Yánez-Muñoz M, Nogueira C, Catenazzi A, Schargel W, Rivas G (2019) Atractus elaps. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T15158016A15158057.en
- Filius J, van der Hoek Y, Jarrín‐V P, van Hooft P (2020) Wildlife roadkill patterns in a fragmented landscape of the Western Amazon. Ecology and Evolution 10: 6623–6635. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6394
- Woodward SP, Tate R (1830) A manual of the Mollusca: being a treatise on recent and fossil shells. C. Lockwood and Company, London, 750 pp.
- Beekes R (2010) Etymological dictionary of Greek. Brill, Boston, 1808 pp.
- Duponchel P, Chevrolat L (1849) Atractus. In: d’Orbigny CD (Ed) Dictionnaire universel d’histoire naturelle. MM. Renard, Martinet et Cie., Paris, 312.
Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Atractus elaps in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Colombia | Caquetá | Florencia | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Colombia | Caquetá | La Mina | Gutiérrez-Lamus et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Caquetá | Morelia | Dixon et al. 1976 |
| Colombia | Putumayo | Río Putumayo | Grant et al. 2023 |
| Colombia | Putumayo | San Antonio del Guamués | KU 140399; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Centro Shuar Amazonas | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Centro Shuar Kenkuim | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Chiguaza | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Cusuime | Ortega-Andrade 2010 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | El Tesoro | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | La Unión | MHNG 2445.045; collection database |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Macas | AMNH 28839; examined |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Macuma | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Mashumarentsa | FHGO 1195; examined |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Mera, 2 km W of | Andreas Kay |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Normandía | AMNH 35910; examined |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Reserva Suritiak | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | San Juan Bosco, 5 km N of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Santiago de Tiwintza | MHNG 2307.072; collection database |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Taisha | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Tamantza | FHGO 1984; examined |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Turula | AMNH 15222; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Napo | Balsayacu | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Centro Kamak Maki | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Cuesta del Tigre | Melo-Sampaio et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Guamaní | Photo by Álvaro Perez |
| Ecuador | Napo | Misahuallí | Photo by Ernesto Arbeláez |
| Ecuador | Napo | Mushukllakta | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Pano | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Puerto Barantilla, 1.6 km S of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Puerto Napo | MHNG 2098.095; collection database |
| Ecuador | Napo | Reserva Narupa | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Napo | Río Cotapino | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Tena | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Napo | Tena, 4 km W of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Yachana Reserve | Whitworth & Beirne 2011 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Bloque Shiripuno | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Desembocadura Río Lagartococha | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | El Coca | MHNG 2249.018; collection database |
| Ecuador | Orellana | La Joya de los Sachas | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | NPF | Photo by Paulina Romero |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Pozo Amo 2 | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Reserva Río Bigal | García et al. 2021 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Río Huataraco | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Río Nashiño | Melo-Sampaio et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Río Pucuno | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | San José de Payamino | Maynard et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | San José de Payamino, 2 km NW of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Tambococha | Melo-Sampaio et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Tiputini Biodiversity Station | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Transecto FSL | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Yasuní Scientific Station | Arteaga et al. 2022 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Agua Santa | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Andoas | AMNH 49079; examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Cabeceras del Río Bobonaza | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Campo Villano B | Melo-Sampaio et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Canelos | Ortega-Andrade 2010 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Cononaco | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | El Triunfo, 7 km NE of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Finca Fátima | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Guache | AMNH 49089; examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Hotel Bellandia | Photo by Jon Wedow |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Mangayacu | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Montalvo | Ortega-Andrade 2010 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Palora | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Pozo Garza 1 | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Puyo, 2 km NE of | Photo by Diego Piñán |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Anzu Reserve | Reyes-Puig et al. 2013 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Capahuari | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Corrientes | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Lliquino | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Pastaza | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Talin | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Sarayacu | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Shell | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Tamandúa Reserve | This work; Fig. 1 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Tsapino | FHGO 4609; examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Villano | Savage 1960 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | 3 de Noviembre | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | El Paraíso | This work; Fig. 1 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Jivino, 1 km NE of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Lago Agrio | Duellman 1978 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Limoncocha Biological Reserve | MHNG 2441.001; collection database |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Lumbaqui, parroquia urbana | Dueñas and Báez 2021 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Puerto El Carmen | Arteaga et al. 2022 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | San Francisco, 1 km SW of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | San Pablo de Kantesiya | MHNG 2411.081; collection database |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Santa Cecilia | Duellman 1978 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Shushufindi | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Tungurahua | Reserva Río Zuñac | Photo by Juan Pablo Reyes |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Escombrera Norte | FHGO 8571; examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Los Encuentros, 2 km NE of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Quebrada Napinaza | Melo-Sampaio et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Santa Elena | Photo by Darwin Núñez |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Tundayme | Arteaga et al. 2017 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Valle del Quimi | Betancourt et al. 2018 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Vía a Condor Mirador | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Vía a Nambija | Nogueira et al. 2019 |
| Peru | Amazonas | Santa María de Nieva | Dixon et al. 1976 |
| Peru | Loreto | Moropon | TCWC 39073; VertNet |
| Peru | Loreto | Pampa Hermosa | Dixon et al. 1976 |
| Peru | Loreto | Pongo Chinim | Pitman et al. 2012 |
| Peru | Loreto | Río Corrientes in Peru | MCZ 156976; VertNet |