Micrurus hemprichii, commonly known as Hemprich's coral snake, Orange-banded coral snake and the worm-eating coral snake, is a species of venomous coral snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to South America.

Etymology

The specific name, hemprichii, is in honor of German naturalist Wilhelm Friedrich Hemprich.

Habitat

Hemprich's coral snake occurs in forests at elevations below 1000 m, including lower montane wet forest, gallery forest, and primary and secondary rain forest. It is a cryptic species living in leaf litter of the forest floor.

Diet

Hemprich's coral snake feeds heavily on velvet worms, but also on small snakes and amphisbaenids.

Geographic range

M. hemprichii is found in the upper Amazon Basin, Guiana Highlands, and upper Orinoco Basin in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana,Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid. Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Micrurus.