Micrurus nigrocinctus babaspul

Micrurus nigrocinctus babaspul, or the babaspul (Creole for "barber's pole"), is a subspecies of Micrurus nigrocinctus, commonly known as the Central American coral snake. M. n. babaspul is a venomous elapid from Big Corn Island (Isla Grande del Maíz), Nicaragua. According to O'Shea (2008) this is an endangered subspecies, and the subspecies may even be extinct.

Micrurus nigrocinctus babaspul
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Micrurus
Species:
Subspecies:
M. n. babaspul
Trinomial name
Micrurus nigrocinctus babaspul
Roze, 1967

Description

M. n. babaspul is a tricoloured monadal coral snake. Its color pattern consists of rings in the order red/yellow/black/yellow/red. Being a monadal coral snake, it only has one black ring between each pair of red rings. It has a round small head with a long slender body. Adults may attain a total length (including tail) of 1.5–2 ft (46–61 cm).

Geographic Range

The babaspul is endemic to Big Corn Island, Nicaragua.

Habitat

M. n. babaspul inhabits tropical moist forests.

Diet

The babaspul will actively hunt small lizards and small snakes, and if available will take some rodents small enough for it to consume.

Reproduction

There is not much known about the reproduction of the babaspul, but it is believed to be an oviparous species.

Further reading

  • Roze J. 1967. "A check list of the New World venomous coral snakes (Elapidae), with descriptions of new forms". American Museum Novitates (2287): 1-60. (Micrurus nigrocinctus babaspul, new subspecies).
  • O'Shea, Mark (2008). Venomous Snakes of the World. New Holland Publishers Ltd. p. 52. ISBN 978-1847730862.
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