Sinomicrurus kelloggi

Sinomicrurus kelloggi
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Sinomicrurus
Species:	S. kelloggi
Binomial name
Sinomicrurus kelloggi (Pope, 1928)
Synonyms [2]
Hemibungarus kelloggi Pope, 1928 Calliophis wongii Fan, 1931 Callophis kelloggi — M.A. Smith, 1943 Calliophis kelloggi — Ding & Zheng, 1974 Micrurus kelloggi — Welch, 1994 Sinomicrurus kelloggi — Slowinski, Boundy & Lawson, 2001

Sinomicrurus kelloggi, also known commonly as Kellog's coral snake or Kellogg's coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.

Etymology

The specific name, kelloggi, is in honor of Claude Rupert Kellogg who was a zoologist and Christian missionary in China. ^[3]

Geographic range

S. kelloggi is found in Vietnam, northern Laos, and southern China. ^{[1] [2] [4]}

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of S. kelloggi is forest, at altitudes of 300–1,128 m (984–3,701 ft). ^[1]

Description

The holotype of S. kelloggi measures 774 mm (30.5 in), of which 70 mm (2.8 in) consist of the tail. This species has a black head, which has a white V-shaped spot. The dorsum is purple-brown with 22 black transverse markings with light rims. The venter is milky white with 49 black marks of variable size. ^[5]

Behavior

S. kelloggi is terrestrial and nocturnal. ^[2]

Diet

S. kelloggi preys upon small lizards and small snakes. ^{[1] [2]}

Reproduction

S. kelloggi is oviparous. ^{[1] [2]}

References

1. Rao, D.-q.; Li, P. (2012). "Sinomicrurus kelloggi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012 e.T191960A2021384. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T191960A2021384.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. Sinomicrurus kelloggi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 19 May 2019.
3. Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sinomicrurus kelloggi, p. 139).
4. Deng, X.; Ye, Y.; Yang, D. (1998). "Two reptile records new to Hunan Province". Sichuan Journal of Zoology. 17 (2): 862.
5. Pope, C.H. (1928). "Seven new reptiles from Fukien Province, China". American Museum Novitates (320): 1–6. hdl:2246/3724. (Hemibungarus kelloggi, new species, p. 6).

Further reading

• Nguyen, S.V.; Ho, C.T.; Nguyen, T.Q. (2009). Herpetofauna of Vietnam. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 768 pp. ISBN   978-3899734621.
• Slowinski, J.B.; Boundy, J.; Lawson, R. (2001). "The phylogenetic relationships of Asian coral snakes (Elapidae: Calliophis and Maticora) based on morphological and molecular characters". Herpetologica57 (2): 233–245. (Sinomicrurus kelloggi, new combination).
• Smith, M.A. (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 kelloggi, p. 426).