Micrurus mipartitus


Micrurus mipartitus is a species of coral snake in the family Elapidae. It is found in South America and Central America. The redtail coral snake is common in agricultural areas in Colombia. Its highly neurotoxic venom is known to cause seizures in its prey by activating nerve proteins responsible for seizures within it.

Subspecies

Micrurus mipartitus has a cylindrical body that can reach up to 140.6 centimeters in length. They have quite small eyes upon their round heads. The rings of this species can range anywhere from 34-84 black bodily rings that are sundered by yellow or white intermediaries. The second ring on the head and 3 or 4 of the tail rings exude a red color in contrast to the white or yellow bands.

Natural history

Micrurus mipartitus is a species of crepuscular and nocturnal habits. During period of low rainfall, could be located underground several centimeters deep. In times of high rainfall it's found on soil surface or where leaf litter is abundant. This coral snake lives from tropical dry forest to foggy forests and is related to human settlements in rural areas used for agriculture.
The diet of M. mipartitus is mainly based on snakes as well as lizards, Anphisbaenids, anuros and cecilias. It's oviparous, about eight white-colored eggs have been recorded, which are 2.86 cm long, with an average weight of 3.06 gr. Incubation period lasts between 73–87 days, total length of the infants could vary from 20–21.9 cm and weight is around 3.3 gr.