''Micrurus diana'', also known commonly as Diana's coral snake, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

venomous snake Venomous snakes are Species (biology), species of the Suborder (biology), suborder Snake, Serpentes that are capable of producing Snake venom, venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The v ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Elapidae Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids ; grc, ἔλλοψ ''éllops'' "sea-fish") is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus Emydoceph ...

. The species is native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Etymology

The specific name, ''diana'', is dedicated to the goddess Diana. www.reptile-database.org.

Geographic range

Specimens of ''M. diana'' have been identified in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

( Tucavaca Valley Municipal Reserve) and Brazil (

Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP. Neighboring ...

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of ''M. diana'' is undisturbed forest, at altitudes of .

Description

''M. diana'' has a color pattern of red, white, and black rings, which are arranged in triads. The snout and chin are white.

Reproduction

''M. diana'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

References

* Harvey MB, Aparicio J, Gonzales L (2003). "Revision of the venomous snakes of Bolivia: Part 1. The coralsnakes (Elapidae: ''Micrurus''). ''Annals of Carnegie Museum'' 72: 1–52. * Pires MG, Feitosa DT, Prudente ALC, Silva NJ Jr (2013). "First record of ''Micrurus diana'' Roze, 1983 (Serpentes: Elapidae) for Brazil and extension of its distribution in Bolivia, with notes on morphological variation". ''Check List'' 9 (6): 1556–1560. * Roze JA (1983). "New World coral snakes (Elapidae): a taxonomic and biological summary ". ''Memórias do Instituto Butantan'' 46: 305–338. (''Micrurus frontalis diana'', new subspecies). *Roze JA (1994). "Notes on taxonomy of venomous coral snakes (Elapidae) of South America". ''Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society'' 30: 177–185. (''Micrurus diana'', new status).

diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) ...