{{Short description|Species of snake}} {{speciesbox | image = | image_caption = | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=Cacciali, P. |author2=Carreira, S. |author3=Fitzgerald, L. |author4=Giraudo, A. |author5=Kacoliris, F. |author6=Montero, R. |author7=Scott, N. |year=2019 |title=''Micrurus corallinus'' |volume=2019 |article-number=e.T56040806A56040867 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T56040806A56040867.en |access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref> | genus = Micrurus | species = corallinus | authority = (Merrem, 1820) | range_map = Micrurus corallinus Map.jpg | synonyms = ''Elaps corallinus'' }}

'''''Micrurus corallinus''''' is a species of highly venomous elapid snake native to South America (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay).<ref name=IUCN/><ref name="LHD">{{cite web |title=Living Hazards Database (LHD) – Search by Scientific Name |url=https://www.acq.osd.mil/eie/afpmb/docs/lhd/venomous_animals_byspecies.pdf |work=Living Hazards Database (LHD) }}</ref><ref name=RDB/> There are no recognized subspecies.<ref name=RDB>{{NRDB species |genus=Micrurus |species=corallinus |access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref>

== Common names == Common names of this species include painted coral snake, ''cobra coral pintada'',<ref name=RDB/> ''mboi-chumbe'', ''vibora de coral'', ''boicora'', ''bocora'', ''coral-verdadeira'', ''ibiboboca'', and ''mboi-yvyvovo''.<ref name="LHD" />

== Description and behavior == The painted coral snake is a medium-sized tri-colored snake which can grow to {{convert|98|cm|in|abbr=on}}, but most are closer to {{convert|65-85|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name="LHD" /> It is a snake with nocturnal habits found on the coastlines, through leaves, on top of logs and stones, its diet is based on lizards, other snakes (including coluibrids), amphisbenids and gymnophils.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Micrurus Corallinus - Coral e Peçonhenta {{!}} Animais - Cultura Mix|url=https://animais.culturamix.com/informacoes/repteis/micrurus-corallinus|access-date=2020-09-30|website=animais.culturamix.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Serapicos|first1=Eliana de Oliveira|last2=Merusse|first2=José Luiz Bernardino|date=December 2002|title=Análise comparativa entre tipos de alimentação de ''Micrurus corallinus'' (Serpentes, Elapidae) em cativeiro|journal=Iheringia |series=Série Zoologia|language=pt|volume=92|issue=4|pages=99–103|doi=10.1590/S0073-47212002000400012 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The head color is black with a white or yellow back band, which narrows strongly in a dorsal shape, the bodies have wide red rings that are separated by a series of 15–27 (usually 17–21) by wide and narrow black rings and with white borders. The tail has 3 to 8 alternating black and yellow rings.<ref name="LHD" /> They have a slim body, with a moderately short tail in the case of males and very short in the case of females, the head is round, small and a little distant from the neck. The eyes are slightly small with round pupils. It has smooth and shiny dorsal scales, without apical punctuation. The supra-anal keels are absent in males.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=WCH Clinical Toxinology Resources|url=http://www.toxinology.com/fusebox.cfm?fuseaction=main.snakes.display&id=SN0283|access-date=2020-10-17|website=www.toxinology.com}}</ref>

== Distribution and habitat ==

Its range includes South America in Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, Bahia, Santa Catarina, Espírito Santo), northeastern Argentina (Misiones), and Paraguay. It is mainly found in the Amazon basin in tropical deciduous and evergreen forest at elevations ranging from sea level to 500 m.<ref name="LHD" />

== Reproduction == Reproduction is oviparous, laying up to 15 eggs.<ref name="LHD" />

== Venom == It is not aggressive towards humans, the group of coral snakes represents only 1% of accidents in Central and South America, however the venom produced by them is highly potent, with neurotoxic action, causing neuromuscular block, which results in death from respiratory arrest, resulting from paralysis of the respiratory muscles. The {{LD50}} for a 5–27 grams mouse is 0.007&nbsp;mg.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tanaka |first1=Gabriela D. |last2=Furtado |first2=Maria de Fátima D. |last3=Portaro |first3=Fernanda C. V. |last4=Sant'Anna |first4=Osvaldo Augusto |last5=Tambourgi |first5=Denise V. |title=Diversity of ''Micrurus'' snake species related to their venom toxic effects and the prospective of antivenom neutralization |journal=PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |date=2010 |volume=4 |issue=3 |page=e622 [Table 1] |doi=10.1371/journal.pntd.0000622|pmid=20231886 |pmc=2834742 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last1=Sant'Ana Malaque|first1=Ceila Maria|title=Snakebite Envenomation in Central and South America|date=2016|work=Critical Care Toxicology|pages=1–22|editor-last=Brent|editor-first=Jeffrey|place=Cham|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-20790-2_146-1|isbn=978-3-319-20790-2|last2=Gutiérrez|first2=José María|editor2-last=Burkhart|editor2-first=Keith|editor3-last=Dargan|editor3-first=Paul|editor4-last=Hatten|editor4-first=Benjamin}}</ref> 0.2&nbsp;mg/kg (intramuscular injection), 0.09&nbsp;mg/kg (intraperitoneal) and 0.04&nbsp;mg/kg (intravenous).

The venom of this species is compound of the three-finger toxin families, Phospholipase A2, L-amino acid oxidase, True venom lectin, SVMP (snake venom metalloproteinase), Kunitz-type inhibitor (Venom Kunitz-type), NGF (NGF -beta) and Waprin.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Micrurus corallinus ~ VenomZone page|url=https://venomzone.expasy.org/3360|access-date=2020-10-15|website=venomzone.expasy.org}}</ref> The amount of venom extracted from this species is 3 mg.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=de Castro|first1=Karen Larissa Pereira|last2=Lopes-de-Souza|first2=Letícia|last3=de Oliveira|first3=Daysiane|last4=Machado-de-Ávila|first4=Ricardo Andrez|last5=Paiva|first5=Ana Luiza Bittencourt|last6=de Freitas|first6=Cláudio F.|last7=Ho|first7=Paulo Lee|last8=Chávez-Olórtegui|first8=Carlos|last9=Guerra-Duarte|first9=Clara|date=2019|title=A Combined Strategy to Improve the Development of a Coral Antivenom Against ''Micrurus'' spp.|journal=Frontiers in Immunology|volume=10|page=2422 |doi=10.3389/fimmu.2019.02422 |pmid=31695693|pmc=6816313|doi-access=free}}</ref> The venom of this species has presynaptic activity.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Seligman |first1=Renato |title=Acidente por ''Micrurus frontalis'': primeiro relato de envenenamento elapídico no Rio Grande do Sul |journal=Memórias do Instituto de Butantan |date=1993 |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=65–68 |url=https://bibliotecadigital.butantan.gov.br/arquivos/44/PDF/4.pdf |language=pt}}</ref> ''M. corallinus'' has alpha-neurotoxins with pre-synaptic activity that causes a high and spontaneous release of acetylcholine associated with the postsynaptic block of the electrical transmission between the nerve and the muscle.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Silva |first=Alvaro Rossan de Brandão Prieto da |year=2002 |title=Clonagem, expressão e estudo de alguns cDNAs codificando proteínas estruturalmente relacionadas às alfa neurotoxinas da glândula de veneno da cobra coral ''Micrurus corallinus'' (Serpentes, Elapidae) |url=https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/46/46131/tde-17072002-213926/publico/TDE_ARBPS.pdf |type=Doctoral thesis |publisher=Universidade de São Paulo |doi=10.11606/T.46.2002.tde-17072002-213926 }}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Commons category-inline}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2703976}}

Corallinus Category:Snakes of Brazil Category:Reptiles of Argentina Category:Reptiles of Paraguay Category:Reptiles described in 1820 Category:Taxa named by Blasius Merrem