Sinomicrurus swinhoei

Last updated

Sinomicrurus swinhoei
Swinhoe's Temperate Asian Coralsnake (Sinomicrurus swinhoei). Baling, Taoyuan, Taiwan.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Sinomicrurus
Species:
S. swinhoei
Binomial name
Sinomicrurus swinhoei
(Van Denburgh, 1922)
Synonyms [1]
  • Calliophis swinhoei Van Denburgh, 1912
  • Micrurus macclellandi swinhoei — Welch, 1994
  • Sinomicrurus macclellandi swinhoei — Nguyen et al., 2009

Sinomicrurus swinhoei, also known as Swinhoe's temperate Asian coralsnake, is a highly venomous species of coral snake in the family Elapidae. [1] [2] It is endemic to Taiwan. [1] [2] [3] [4] The specific name is in honor of the English naturalist Robert Swinhoe, who was first European consul in Taiwan. [2] Common name has been proposed for it. [1] [4]

Contents

Taxonomy

Originally described as Calliophis swinhoei by John Van Denburgh in 1922, recent literature has treated it as subspecies of Sinomicrurus macclellandi . [1] However, it was elevated back to full species status as Sinomicrurus swinhoei in a 2021 revision of Sinomicrurus by Smart and colleagues. [1] [4]

Description

S. swinhoei are relatively small snakes: males measure 19–48 cm (7.5–18.9 in) and females 19–51 cm (7.5–20.1 in) in snout–vent length (SVL). The tail is 10–16 % of SVL. [1] [4] Some sources suggests a much higher maximum total length (i.e., including tail), 98 cm (39 in). [2] There are 13 dorsal scale rows, 223–239 ventral scales in females and 207–221 in males, and 32–36 subcaudal scales in females and 36–41 in males. There are 1+1 temporal scales. [1] [4] The head is dorsally marked with broad cream to white band running across head behind eyes. The base color is brown-black to black. Ventrally, the head is white to very light gray. The snout is whitish. The body and tail are dorsally red to rusty brown, with scales flecked with diffuse dark brown or black. There are a series of narrow, black, light-edged cross bands, which can be incomplete on the flanks. Ventral coloration is cream to light gray with black irregular designs. [2]

Venom

Sinomicrurus swinhoei is highly venomous. Although it is not aggressive and very few reports of attacks have been reported, its venom is potentially life-threatening. [2]

Reproduction

Sinomicrurus swinhoei is oviparous and lays 4–14 eggs in summer. [2]

Habitat and conservation

Sinomicrurus sauteri is widespread in Taiwan and occurs below elevations of 1,000 m (3,300 ft) [2] or 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level. [4] It lives on montane forest floor, in stone cracks, and among leaf litter. It is cathemeral. [2]

Sinomicrurus sauteri is a rare species that enjoys protected status in Taiwan.

Related Research Articles

Trimeresurus cantori, commonly known as Cantor's pit viper or Cantor's pitviper, is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the Subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the Nicobar Islands of India. It was named after Theodore Edward Cantor (1809-1860), a Danish naturalist serving as a surgeon with the East India Company in Calcutta. No subspecies are recognized as being valid.

<i>Sinomicrurus macclellandi</i> Species of snake

Sinomicrurus macclellandi, commonly known as MacClelland's coral snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to southern and eastern Asia.

<i>Hydrophis melanocephalus</i> Species of snake

Hydrophis melanocephalus, commonly known as the slender-necked sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.

Causus maculatus is viper species found mainly in West- and Central Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized. Common names include forest rhombic night adder, West African night adder and spotted night adder. Like all other vipers, it is venomous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-banded sea krait</span> Species of snake

The black-banded sea krait, also known commonly as the Chinese sea snake, is a largely amphibious species of venomous marine reptile in the subfamily Laticaudinae, family Elapidae. It is found in much of the western Pacific Ocean and some of the Sea of Japan. In Japan, it is known as erabu umi hebi ; in Okinawa, it is known simply as irabu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwyer's snake</span> Species of snake

Dwyer's snake also known commonly as the whip snake and the variable black-naped snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Australia, where it is found from New South Wales to South Queensland. While closely related to Australian sea snakes, S. dwyeri is a terrestrial reptile.

The spotted mulga snake, also known commonly as Butler's black snake and Butler's snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Western Australia. It is a member of the genus Pseudechis, dangerously venomous snakes that can intimidate an opponent by raising the head and presenting a hood. This cobra-like threat display is supported by the ability to produce a very large amount of venom.

<i>Sinomicrurus</i> Genus of snakes

Sinomicrurus is a genus of venomous elapid snakes, one of several genera commonly known as Asian coral snakes or oriental coral snakes. The genus includes 9 subtropical species found in Asia. Molecular and morphological analysis suggest this new genus is part of the family Elapidae.

<i>Atractaspis duerdeni</i> Species of snake

Atractaspis duerdeni, commonly known as the beaked burrowing asp, Duerden's burrowing asp, and Duerden's stiletto snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Atractaspididae. The species is native to southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schokar's bronzeback</span> Species of snake

Dendrelaphis schokari, also known as the common bronze-back or Schokar's bronzeback, is a species of non-venomous arboreal snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-crowned snake</span> Species of snake

The golden-crowned snake is a small species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

Hemiaspis damelii is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. It is a relatively small species of elapid with a mean snout-vent length (SVL) of 42.6 to 60 cm. The species is endemic to eastern Australia and is most commonly found across central inland New South Wales through to the interior of south-eastern Queensland. Common names for this species include ngabi, grey snake and Dämel's Snake. The specific name, damelii, is in honor of German entomologist Edward Dämel, who collected Australian specimens for Museum Godeffroy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anchieta's cobra</span> Species of snake

Anchieta's cobra, sometimes referred to as the Angolan cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Southern Africa.

<i>Sinomicrurus sauteri</i> Species of snake

Sinomicrurus sauteri is a species of highly venomous coral snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Taiwan and known from southern and central Taiwan at elevations of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft) above sea level.

<i>Rhabdophis swinhonis</i> Species of snake

Rhabdophis swinhonis is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Taiwan. It is also known commonly as the Taiwan keelback and Swinhoe's grass snake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black file snake</span> Species of snake

The black file snake, also known commonly as the dwarf file snake or the Nyassa file snake, is a species of snake in the subfamily Lamprophiinae of the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to Africa.

The monk snake, also known commonly as the hooded snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to central and western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mallee black-backed snake</span> Species of snake

The Mallee black-backed snake also known as the Mitchell's short-tailed snake or more commonly as the black-backed snake, is a species of venomous snake from the family Elapidae. This species is native to Australia and is found in a variety of habitats in southern mainland Australia.

<i>Atractus emmeli</i> Species of snake

Atractus emmeli, also known commonly as Emmel's ground snake and Boettger's ground snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to northwestern South America.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sinomicrurus swinhoei at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 4 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Breuer, Hans & Murphy, William Christopher (2021). "Sinomicrurus macclellandi swinhoei". Snakes of Taiwan. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  3. ↑ Li Hsiang-Ying. "Sinomicrurus swinhoei (Van Denburgh, 1912)". Catalogue of life in Taiwan. Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Smart, Utpal; Ingrasci, Matthew J.; Sarker, Goutam C.; Lalremsanga, Hmartlawmte; Murphy, Robert W.; Ota, Hidetoshi; Tu, Ming Chung; Shouche, Yogesh; Orlov, Nikolai L. & Smith, Eric N. (2021). "A comprehensive appraisal of evolutionary diversity in venomous Asian coralsnakes of the genus Sinomicrurus (Serpentes: Elapidae) using Bayesian coalescent inference and supervised machine learning". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 59 (8): 2212–2277. doi: 10.1111/jzs.12547 .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.