| Micrurus hemprichii | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Micrurus |
| Species: | M. hemprichii
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| Binomial name | |
| Micrurus hemprichii (Jan, 1858)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Micrurus hemprichii, commonly known as Hemprich's coral snake and the worm-eating coral snake, is a species of venomous coral snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to South America.[1][2]
The specific name, hemprichii, is in honor of German naturalist Wilhelm Friedrich Hemprich.[3]
Hemprich's coral snake occurs in forests at elevations below 1,000 m (3,300 ft), including lower montane wet forest, gallery forest, and primary and secondary rain forest. It is a cryptic species living in leaf litter of the forest floor.[1]
Hemprich's coral snake feeds heavily on velvet worms,[4] but also on small snakes and amphisbaenids.[1]
M. hemprichii is found in the upper Amazon Basin, Guiana Highlands, and upper Orinoco Basin in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana,Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.[1][2]
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid.[2]
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Micrurus.
