Erythrolamprus bizona

Erythrolamprus bizona, commonly known as the double-banded false coral snake, is a species of colubrid snake, which is found in northern South America and Central America.

Erythrolamprus bizona
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Dipsadinae
Genus:	Erythrolamprus
Species:	E. bizona
Binomial name
Erythrolamprus bizona Jan, 1863[2]
Synonyms
Erythrolamprus aesculapii var. bizona Jan, 1863 Erythrolamprus bizonus Savage, 2002 (missp.)[3]

Classification

Erythrolamprus bizona 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. 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) E. ocellatus E. aesculapii (French Guiana & Guyana) (paraphyletic) Erythrolamprus bizona E. mimus

Geographic range

It is found in Colombia, Venezuela,^[5] Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama,^[3] and on the island of Trinidad (in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago).

Mimicry

Similar in pattern to a coral snake,^[4] this species probably gains protection through mimicry.

Diet

It feeds mainly on other snakes.^[4]

Habitat

It is a forest dweller,^[4] often found in the leaf litter or burrowed in the soil in rain forests.

Symbiotic relationship

It burrows primarily near the Pouteria caimito, commonly known as the abiu, a tropical fruit tree, the nutrients of which supply the snake's clutch of eggs. In turn the tree is fertilized by the snake's urine and embryotic fluid.