Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 25, 2026

Micrurus multiscutatus

Micrurus multiscutatus, also known commonly as the Cauca coral snake and la coral caucana in South American Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to nothwestern South America.

Last revised
Jul 25, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
443 w
Citations
10
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Micrurus multiscutatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Micrurus
Species:
M. multiscutatus
Binomial name
Micrurus multiscutatus

Micrurus multiscutatus, also known commonly as the Cauca coral snake and la coral caucana in South American Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to nothwestern South America.2

Description

Micrurus multiscutatus has a very high number of ventral scales, to which the specific name refers. Females may have as many as 325 ventrals, males as many as 295.3

M. multiscutatus is bicolored, its pattern consisting of alternating black and red rings. The rings are approximately equal in width. The red rings may be orangish and include some black-tipped dorsal scales.3

Medium-sized for its genus, the holotype has a total length (tail included) of 84.2 cm (33.1 in).3

Geographic distribution

Micrurus multiscutatus is found in Colombia and Ecuador.2

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus multiscutatus is forest, at elevations of 100–1,500 m (330–4,920 ft).1

Behavior

Micrurus multiscutatus is terrestrial and fossorial, foraging underground and in leaf litter.1

Diet

Micrurus multifasciatus has been observed to prey upon caecilians.4

Reproduction

Micrurus multiscutatus is oviparous.2

References

References

  1. Cisneros-Heredia, D.F.; Bolívar, W.; Lamar, W.; Velasco, J. (2015). "Micrurus multiscutatus ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015 e.T174106A44947559. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T174106A44947559.en. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  2. Species Micrurus multiscutatus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Roze, J.A. (1996). Coral Snakes of the Americas: Biology, Identification, and Venoms. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89464-847-0. xii + 328 pp., 38 maps, 63 color photographs, 49 color pattern drawings. (Micrurus multiscutatus, pp. 200–201 + Map 28 + Color 47).
  4. Barrera-Ocampo, Felipe; Forrester, Timothy R. (2024). "First predation record on a caecilian, Caecilia sp. (Gymnophiona: Caecilidae), by the poorly known Cauca coralsnake, Micrurus multiscutatus (Squamata: Elapidae): Primer registro de depradación sobre una caecilia, Caecilia sp. (Gymnophiona: Caecilidae) por la poca conocida coral caucana, Micrurus multiscutatus (Squamata: Elapidae)". Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetología. 7 (1): e795 (143–148). (in English and Spanish).
Further reading

Further reading

  • Bernal, R. (2025). Serpientes de Colombia: Guía de Campo. Bogotá: Conservación Internacional Colombia. 396 pp. (in Spanish).
  • Campbell, J.A.; Lamar, W.W. (1989). The Venomous Reptiles of Latin America. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0801420597. iv + 430 pp., 568 figures, 109 distribution maps, 31 tables.
  • Rendahl, H.; Vestergren, G. (1940). "Notes on Colombian snakes". Arkiv för Zoologi. 33A (1): 1–16. (Micrurus multiscutatus, new species, p. 9).
  • Torres-Carvajal, O.; Pazmiño-Otamendi, G.; Salazar-Valenzuela, D. (2019). "Reptiles of Ecuador: a resource-rich portal, with dynamic checklists and photographic guides". Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 13 (1): 209–229 (e178).