Erythrolamprus ocellatus

Erythrolamprus ocellatus
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Dipsadinae
Genus:	Erythrolamprus
Species:	E. ocellatus
Binomial name
	Erythrolamprus ocellatus; W. Peters, 1868
Synonyms
	Erythrolamprus aesculapii ocellatus Peters, 1868;

Erythrolamprus ocellatus, commonly known as the Tobago false coral snake, red snake, or doctor snake is a species of colubrid snake, which is endemic to the island of Tobago (in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago).^[3]

Classification

Erythrolamprus ocellatus belongs to the genus Erythrolamprus, which contains over 50 species. The genus Erythrolamprus belongs to the subfamily Dipsadinae, which is sometimes referred to as the family Dipsadidae. The relationships of Erythrolamprus species located in northern South America (Venezuela) can be shown in the cladogram below, based on molecular DNA analysis:^[4]

E. poecilogyrus (paraphyletic)

	E. ceii

	E. poecilogyrus (paraphyletic)

E. miliaris

E. typhlus (Brazil) (paraphyletic)

E. reginae (paraphyletic)

	E. reginae (paraphyletic)

	E. zweifeli

E. breviceps

E. epinephalus (Peru) (paraphyletic)

	E. epinephalus (Costa Rica) (paraphyletic)

	E. pseudoreginae

E. melanotus

E. atraventer

	E. jaegeri

	E. almadensis

	E. juliae

	E. cursor

E. typhlus (French Guiana) (paraphyletic)

E. cobella

	E. aesculapii (Brazil) (paraphyletic)

	Erythrolamprus ocellatus

E. aesculapii (French Guiana & Guyana) (paraphyletic)

	E. bizona

	E. mimus

Description

Unlike other Erythrolamprus false coral snake species, E. ocellatus is not sympatric with coral snakes, and has a spotted rather than a banded pattern.^[3] Dorsally, it is reddish (with black scale tips), and has a series of about 25 large ocelli (round black spots with light centers) running down the middle of the back. It is considered to be an imperfect mimic of a coral snake, keeping in mind that there are no extant species of coral snakes in Tobago.^[4] The dorsal surfaces of the head and neck are black, and the tail is ringed with black.^[5]

Geographic Range, Habitat and Activity

The species is a Tobago endemic,^[4] known only from the wetter northeastern and central parts of the island. It utilizes leaf-litter and is perhaps also fossorial in rainforest, forest edge and cacao plantation habitats. It seems to be most active in the early morning and late afternoon.

Diet

It probably feeds on other snakes.^[3]

References

^ Murphy, J. 2016. Erythrolamprus ocellatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T203512A115350272. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/203512/115350272 Downloaded on 02 October 2018.
^ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
^ ^a ^b ^c Boos, Hans E.A. (2001). The Snakes of Trinidad and Tobago. Texas A&M University Press. College Station, Texas. xvi + 328 pp. ISBN 1-58544-116-3.
^ ^a ^b ^c Murphy, John C.; Braswell, Alvin L.; Charles, Stevland P.; Auguste, Renoir J.; Rivas, Gilson A.; Borzée, Amaël; Lehtinen, Richard M.; Jowers, Michael J. (15 Jan 2019). "A new species of Erythrolamprus from the oceanic island of Tobago (Squamata, Dipsadidae)". ZooKeys (817): 131–157. doi:10.3897/zookeys.817.30811.
^ Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ Aglyphæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ),... Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) London. xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I.- XXV. ("E. ocellatus, Peters", p. 204.)