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Trans-Andean Coralsnake (Micrurus transandinus)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Elapidae | Micrurus | Micrurus transandinus
English common names: Trans-Andean Coralsnake, Trans-Andean Capuchin Coralsnake, Duméril’s Coralsnake.
Spanish common names: Coral transandina, coral capuchina.
Recognition: ♂♂ 81.9 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. ♀♀ 106.5 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail..1 In western Ecuador, true coralsnakes (genus Micrurus) can be distinguished from most, but not all, false coralsnakes by having brightly colored rings that encircle the body, small eyes that are about the same size as the post-ocular scales, and no loreal scale.1,2 Micrurus transandinus is one of four species of the genus occurring in the rainforests of western Ecuador. From these, it is the only one having a tricolored pattern and black body rings arranged in monads (Fig. 1).1,2 There is another species, M. bocourti, in which some individuals have thin accessory black rings, giving the appearance of a monadal pattern, but this snake occurs in dry forest areas and has red rings that are 2–3 (instead of 4) times as broad as the black rings.1 The combination of small eyes and the complete rings on the dorsum as well as on the belly separates M. transandinus from the Mimetic False-Coralsnake (Erythrolamprus mimus).3
Figure 1: Individuals of Micrurus transandinus: Canandé Biological Reserve, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador (); Morromico Reserve, Chocó department, Colombia ().
Natural history: Micrurus transandinus is an uncommon terrestrial to semi-fossorial snake that inhabits pristine to heavily disturbed rainforests and evergreen foothill forests.1 This species also occurs in clearings, plantations (palm hearts and banana), and rural gardens near the forest border.1,4 Individuals have been seen active on soil, leaf-litter, or crossing roads during the day or at night, particularly after heavy rains.1,4–6 These snakes actively forage in search of prey, which includes snakes (Tantilla supracincta),7 but probably also lizards and caecilians.1 Trans-Andean Coralsnakes rely on their warning coloration as a primary defense mechanism. Individuals are usually calm and try to flee when threatened. If disturbed, they engage in complex and seemingly erratic behavior: they hide the head beneath body coils, crawl spasmodically forward and then backward, and display their bright tails as a decoy.1,4 They are also capable of striking if provoked. The venom of M. transandinus is neurotoxic and, in humans, causes persistent excruciating pain, headache, ptosis (drooping eyelids), paralysis of the cranial nerve,8 and presumably also death. In Ecuador, one gravid female contained 10 eggs,1 but the real clutch size is not known. Hatchlings measure 21.2–29.5 cm in total length.1
Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances.. Micrurus transandinus has not been evaluated by the IUCN Red List. Here, the species is proposed to be included in the Least Concern category because it is widely distributed throughout the lowlands of the Chocó biome, especially in areas that have not been heavily affected by deforestation, such as the Colombian Pacific coast. As a result, the species is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for a threatened category. In Ecuador, 16 localities of occurrence are in privately protected areas (Appendix 1) and the species’ potential area of distribution overlaps with three national parks. However, populations elsewhere may disappear due to large-scale deforestation. Vehicular traffic and the fear of snakes are also sources of mortality to individuals of this species.4 People in rural regions tend to kill any snake, particularly coralsnakes.
Distribution: Micrurus transandinus is native to the lowlands and adjacent mountain foothills of the Chocó biome from eastern Panamá, through Colombia, to western Ecuador (Fig. 2).
Figure 2: Distribution of Micrurus transandinus in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The name Micrurus is derived from the Greek words mikros (=small) and oura (=tail), referring to the short tail in members of this group.2 The species’ epithet transandinus refers to the distribution of the species: west of the Andes.9
See it in the wild: Trans-Andean Coralsnakes are usually found no more than once every few weeks at any given area. In Ecuador, the localities having the greatest number of recent observations are Canandé Reserve, Jama Coaque Reserve, and the immediate environs of the town Puerto Quito. It appears that the best way to find Trans-Andean Coralsnakes is to walk along forest trails right after sunset, especially after heavy rains.
Notes: This account follows Schmidt (1936),10 but not his subsequent works, in recognizing Micrurus transandinus as a species distinct from M. dumerilii.
Author: Alejandro ArteagaaAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.
Photographers: Jose VieiraaAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,bAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador. and Sebastián Di DoménicocAffiliation: Keeping Nature, Bogotá, Colombia.
How to cite? Arteaga A (2021) Trans-Andean Coralsnake (Micrurus transandinus). 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/RQOF3597
Literature cited:
- Valencia JH, Garzón-Tello K, Barragán-Paladines ME (2016) Serpientes venenosas del Ecuador: sistemática, taxonomía, historial natural, conservación, envenenamiento y aspectos antropológicos. Fundación Herpetológica Gustavo Orcés, Quito, 653 pp.
- Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004) The venomous reptiles of the western hemisphere. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 774 pp.
- Curcio FF, Scali S, Rodrigues MT (2015) Taxonomic status of Erythrolamprus bizona Jan (1863 (Serpentes, Xenodontinae): assembling a puzzle with many missing pieces. Herpetological Monographs 29: 40–64. DOI: 10.1655/HERPMONOGRAPHS-D-15-00002
- Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
- MECN (2010) Serie herpetofauna del Ecuador: El Chocó esmeraldeño. Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales, Quito, 232 pp.
- Prairie A, Chandler K, Ruback P, Ray JM (2015) Dumeril’s Coralsnake (Micrurus dumerilii Jan, 1858) in Panama. Mesoamerican Herpetology 2: 253–259.
- Photo by Amado Chávez.
- Otero R, Tobón GS, Gómez LF, Osorio R, Valderrama R, Hoyos D, Urreta JE, Molina S, Arboleda JJ (1992) Accidente ofídico en Antioquia y Chocó. Acta Médica Colombiana 17: 229–249.
- Roze JA (1996) Coral snakes of the Americas: biology, indentification, and venoms. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, 328 pp.
- Schmidt KP (1936) Preliminary account of coral snakes of South America. Zoological Series of the Field Museum of Natural History 20: 189–203.
Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Micrurus transandinus in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Colombia | Nariño | El Palmichal | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Salahonda | Online multimedia |
| Colombia | Nariño | Vereda El Pailón | Campbell & Lamar 2004 |
| Ecuador | Azuay | Río Balao | GADM Ponce Enríquez 2015 |
| Ecuador | Azuay | Río Gala | GADM Ponce Enríquez 2015 |
| Ecuador | Azuay | Río Siete | GADM Ponce Enríquez 2015 |
| Ecuador | Azuay | Río Tenguel | GADM Ponce Enríquez 2015 |
| Ecuador | Bolívar | Balzapamba | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Carchi | Tobar Donoso | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Cotopaxi | Below Sigchos | USNM 232420 |
| Ecuador | Cotopaxi | Bosque Privado El Jardín de los Sueños | Photo by Christophe Pellet |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Reserva Biológica Buenaventura | INABIO 2019 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Bilsa Biological Station | Ortega-Andrade et al. 2010 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Caimito | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Canandé Reserve | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Centro de Fauna Silvestre James Brown | Photo by Salvador Palacios |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Cerro Mutiles | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Charco Vicente | Morales 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | El Pan | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Finca de Carlos Vásquez | Photo by Carlos Vásquez |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Gualpi | This work |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Hacienda Cacao | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | La Tabla | Morales 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Laguna de Cube | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Mayronga, Lagarto | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Pajonal | Morales 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Partidero-Poza Honda | Vázquez et al. 2005 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Playa de Oro | Toral & Ortiz 1997 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Pote | Morales 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Quinindé | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Reserva Itapoa | Photo by Rául Nieto |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Reserva Tesoro Escondido | Photo by Simon Maddock |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Cayapas | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Mira | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río San Francisco | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Santiago | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Tangareal | Morales 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Tundaloma Lodge | MZUTI 3337 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Viche | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Hacienda Bola de Oro | MHNG 2458.043 |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Paramba | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Centro Científico Río Palenque | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Puerto de Ilá | USNM 232418 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Quevedo | USNM 142598 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Río Congo | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Río Vinces | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Bosque Seco Lalo Loor | Hamilton et al. 2005 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | La Crespa | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Maicito | MHNG 1327.087 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Pedernales, 16.8 km SE of | Photo by David Salazar |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Reserva Jama Coaque | Lynch et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Reserva Tito Santos | Hamilton et al. 2005 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Three Forests Trail | Photo by Paul Maier |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Guayabillas de Pacto | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Hostería Selva Virgen | This work |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Mashpi Reserve | This work |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Pedro Vicente Maldonado | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Pedro Vicente Maldonado, 20 km W of | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Pedro Vicente Maldonado, 4 km W of | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Puerto Quito | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Rancho Suamox | Photo by Rafael Ferro |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Río Silanche Bird Sanctuary | This work |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | La Perla | Photo by Plácido Palacios |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Plan Piloto | UIMNH 92336 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Río Baba | UIMNH 92335 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Río Toachi | UIMNH 92340 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | San Luis de Canoas, Santo Domingo | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo, 11 km S of | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo, 3 km N of | Valencia et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo, 7 km S of | MHNG 1069.084 |