Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 2, 2026

Micrurus

Micrurus is a genus of venomous coral snakes of the family Elapidae.

Last revised
Jun 2, 2026
Read time
≈ 4 min
Length
1,016 w
Citations
4
Source
Micrurus
Micrurus fulvius
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Micrurus
Wagler, 1824
Type species
Coluber fulvius
Linnaeus, 1766

Micrurus is a genus of venomous coral snakes of the family Elapidae.1

Geographic range

Species in the genus Micrurus are endemic to the Americas.2

Species

The following 83 species are recognized as being valid.1

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Micrurus.

Reproduction

All species of Micrurus are oviparous (egg-laying).3

References

References

  1. Genus Micrurus at The Reptile Database
  2. Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company. xi + 378 pp. ISBN 0-7167-0020-4. (Genus Micrurus, p. 331).
  3. Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3. (Genus Micrurus, p. 196).
Further reading

Further reading

  • Roze JA (1996). Coral Snakes of the Americas: Biology, Identification, and Venoms. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. xii + 328 pp. ISBN 0-89464-847-0.