Aspidelaps lubricus

Aspidelaps lubricus infuscatus

The South African coral snake ( Aspidelaps lubricus ) is a snake of the genus appearances Cobras ( Aspidelaps ) from the family of poisonous snakes ( Elapidae ).

Features

South African coral snakes are small snakes that reach a body length of 60 to 80 centimeters. The short head is hardly from the neck and has a snout shield that is as wide as high. The nominate (A. l lubricus ) is colored yellow-orange and has 20 to 47 black cross bands on the body, one of which is formed first on a wide neck band which tapers towards an acute angle to the back of the head. On the ventral side of the transverse bands are narrower. Under the eye is a black spot which touches the mouth edge. The hull has 19 oblique rows of smooth scales in the middle, 142-168 Ventralschilde, 20 to 28 Subkaudalschilde and an undivided anal shield.

The subspecies A. l cowlesi ( Bogert 1940) is almost without markings, has a pale head top and has 21 to 23 scale rows in the middle of the fuselage and 144-161 Ventralschilde.

The subspecies A. l infuscatus ( Mertens 1954) has a dark head and a less pronounced body coloration than the nominate race and has 149-172 Ventralschilde and 27 to 36 Subkaudalschilde. The tail is longer and more acute than the other subtypes.

Occurrence

The species prefers sandy semi-deserts. The nominate form is found in the western and central Cape Province, as well as in the South African province of Free State, A. L. cowlesi in southern Angola and A. l infuscatus in Namibia.

Way of life

South African coral snakes burrowing in the ground. They leave their shelter at night or after heavy rains and hunt small reptiles and mammals. When threatened, the animals set up similar to a cobra and threatened by the swelling of the neck. Most will have happened with a closed mouth. The venom is moderately strong. The species lays in the summer scrim of 3 to 11 eggs.

Swell

• Ludwig Trutnau: poisonous snakes. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN ISBN 3-8001-7371-9, pp. 54-56.
• Vincent Carruthers: Wildlife of South Africa: A Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of the Region. Struik, 2005, ISBN 9781868724512, page 98