211 



MICRURUS 



Micrurus lanqsdorf f i Xanqsdorf f i Wagler 



1868 Elaps imperator Cope. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Ph i la. ,• 1868: 110. Type-locality: Napo and 



MaraRon, Peru. 

 1868 Elaps bates i Gunther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4) 1: 428, pi. I7-I. Type-locality: Pebas, 



Peru. 

 iq^S Micrurus mimosus Amaral, Mem. Inst. Butantan, 5: 221. fig. 6. Type-locality: Rfo Putumayo, 



Colomb i a . 

 1567 Micrurus lanqsdorff i lanqsdorff i — Roze, Amer. Mus. Novitates, 2287: 30- 



Distribution: Upper Amazonian region from southern Colombia to northern Peru, including north- 

 western Brazil and adjacent Ecuador. 



Micrurus lanqsdorff i ornat iss imus 



18=^8 Elaps ornatissimus Jan. Rev. Mag. Zool., (2) 10: $21. Type-locality: Mexico (in error). 

 1896 Elaps buckleyi Boulenqer. Cat. Sn. Brit. Mus., 3: 416, pi. 22-1. Type-locality: Canelos, 



Ecuador, and Para, Brazil. 

 1536 Micrurus ornat issimus — Schmidt, Zool. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., 20: I5I. 

 1567 Micrurus lanqsdorff i ornat issimus - — Roze, Amer. Mus. Novitates, 2287: 3^- 



Distribution: Amazonian slopes in eastern Ecuador and northern Peru. 



MICRURUS LATIFASCIATUS Schmidt 



1933 Micrurus lat if asc iatus Schmidt. Zool. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., 20: 35. Type-locality: Finca 

 El Cipres, Volcan Zunil, Such i tepequez, Guatemala. 



Distribution: Pacific slopes from southern Chiapas to western Guatemala. 



MICRURUS LEMNISCATUS (Linnaeus) 



17*^8 Elaps lemniscatus Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, Ed. 10: 224. Type-locality: Asia; restricted to 

 Belem, Para, Brazil, by Schmidt and Walker, Zool. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., 24, I943, 254: 

 subsequent restriction considered invalid by Roze, Amer. Mus. Novitates, 2287, ^')^1 > 3^> 

 because the locality lies outside known distribution of M. 1^. lemn i scatus . 



1519 Micrurus lemn i scatus — Beebe. Zoologica, 2: 216. 



Distribution: Trinidad, eastern Venezuela, Guianas, and Amazon Basin. 

 Content: Five subspecies. 



Key to the subspecies 



Ventrals fewer than 226 in males; usually 

 fewer than 243 '" females 2 



Ventrales more than 226 in males; more than 

 243 in females 3 



Practically all infralabials white; sub- 

 caudals 30-34 in females front ifasc iatus 



Some infralabials black; subcaudals 32-41 

 i n females d i ut ius 



3. Subcaudals usually more than 33 '" females; 



no black spots, only regular black tips on 

 red scales; white bands usually more than 



two scales long 4 



Subcaudals 27-33 '" females; few and irreg- 

 ular black spots or tips on red scales; 



white bands one to two scales long 



carvalho i 



4. Black triads 9"11 '" both sexes helleri 



Black triads 12-14 in both sexes (occasion- 

 ally 11 in females) lemn i scatus 



Clave de subespecies 



1. Menos de 226 ventrales en machos; usual- 



mente menos de 243 en hembras 2 



Mas de 226 ventrales en machos; mas de 243 

 en hembras 3 



2. Pract i camente todas las i nf ralab iales 



blancas; 3'^~3'' subcaudales en hembras 



front i fasc iatus 



Algunas i nf ralab i ales negras; 32-^1 sub- 

 caudales en hembras di ut ius 



3. Usualmente mas de 33 subcaudales en hem- 



bras; escamas rojas sin manchas solo con 

 apices negros regulares; bandas blancas 



usualmente mas de dos escamas de largo 4 



Subcaudales 27-33 ^" hembras; escamas rojas 

 con pocos apices manchas negras irregu- 

 lares; bandas blancas de una dos 

 escamas de largo carvalho i 



4. Triadas negras ')-ll en ambos sexos — helleri 

 Triadas negras 12-14 en ambos sexos ( oca- 



sionalmente 11 en hembras) lemn i scatus 



