Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: March 2nd, 2024.
 
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Genus
Pliocercus
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Big-scaled False Coral Snakes
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Halloweennattern
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Storskællede Koralsnoge
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1860 |  |
Pliocercus Cope (type species: Pliocercus elapoides Cope 1860) |
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1860 | |
Elapochrus Peters (type species: Elapochrous deppei Peters 1860; syn. Smith & Chiszar 2001) |
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1863 | |
Cosmiosophis Jan (type species: Liophis tricinctus Jan 1863; syn. Smith & Chiszar 2001) |
Contents:
5 species, of which 2 (40.0%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0%  100%
Remarks:
The taxonomy of Pliocercus has been a matter of controversy. Sometimes regarded as a synonym of
Urotheca (e.g., Savage & Crother 1989; Lee 1996; Bolaños, Savage & Gerardo 2010), but most authors now regard Pliocercus as a valid genus. Revalidated by Myers & Cadle (1994), supported by Smith, Wallach & Chiszar (1995).
Some authors recognize only two species (elapoides, euryzonus), whereas others have accepted as many as seven. Pending a comprehensive review of the genus, five species are recognized herein, following Smith & Chiszar (2001b, 2001c, 2001d, 2001e, 2001f, 2001g).
The exact publication dates of Pliocercus Cope 1860 and Elapochrus Peters 1860 were discussed by Williams & Wallach (1989), who believed that the latter preceeded the former, in which case suppression of Elapochrus is needed to conserve Pliocercus.
Records of this genus (of euryzonus) from Brazil (e.g., Amaral 1929; Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) are regarded as erroneous (Smith & Chiszar 2001b).
Distribution:
E. Mexico, Central America, NW. South America.
Reported from:
Belize,
Colombia,
Costa Rica,
Ecuador,
El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras,
Mexico
(Campeche,
Chiapas,
Hidalgo,
Oaxaca,
Puebla,
Quintana Roo,
San Luis Potosi,
Tabasco,
Tamaulipas,
Veracruz,
Yucatan),
Nicaragua,
Panama.
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Pliocercus andrewsi
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Yucatan False Coral Snake, (Andrews' False Coral Snake)
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Yucatan-Halloweennatter
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Yucatan-koralsnog
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1942 | |
Pliocercus andrewsi Smith |
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Pliocercus bicolor andrewsi Smith & Chiszar 1996 |
Remarks:
Status uncertain.
Sometimes regarded as a synonym of elapoides (e.g., Green & McDiarmid 1981; Savage & Crother 1989; Wilson & Johnson 2010; Wilson, Mata-Silva & Johnson 2013;
Wallach, Williams & Boundy 2014; González-Sánchez, Johnson, García-Padilla, Mata-Silva, DeSantis & Wilson 2017 [by implication]).
Distribution:
Mexico
(Quintana Roo,
Yucatan).
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Pliocercus bicolor
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Northern False Coral Snake
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Nördliche Halloweennatter
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Nordlig Koralsnog
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1941 | |
Pliocercus bicolor Smith |
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Pliocercus euryzonus bicolor Stuart 1948 |
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Pliocercus aequalis bicolor Pérez-Higareda & Smith 1986 |
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1943 | |
Pliocercus elapoides celatus Smith (Smith & Chiszar 2001d) |
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1960 | |
Pliocercus elapoides hobartsmithi Liner (Smith & Chiszar 2001d) |
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Pliocercus bicolor hobartsmithi Smith & Chiszar 1996 |
Other common names:
bicolor: Tamaulipan False Coral Snake
hobartsmithi: Plateau False Coral Snake
Remarks:
Status uncertain. Revalidated by Pérez-Higareda & Smith (1986) and Smith & Chiszar (1996, 2001d), but often regarded as a synonym of elapoides
(e.g., Savage & Crother 1989; Wilson & Johnson 2010; Wilson, Mata-Silva & Johnson 2013; Wallach, Williams & Boundy 2014;
Woolrich-Piña, García-Padilla, DeSantis, Johnson, Mata-Silva & Wilson 2017 [by implication]).
Not mentioned for San Luis Potosi by Lemos-Espinal, Smith & Woolrich-Piña (2018).
Not listed for Veracruz by Torres-Hernandez, Ramirez-Bautista, Cruz-Elizalde, Hernandez-Salinas, Berriozabal-Islas, DeSantis, Johnson, Rocha, Garcia-Padilla, Mata-Silva, Fucsko & Wilson (2021).
Distribution:
Mexico
(Hidalgo,
Puebla,
San Luis Potosi,
Tamaulipas,
Veracruz).
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Pliocercus dimidiatus
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Central American False Coral Snake
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Zentralamerikanische Halloweennatter
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Centralamerikansk Koralsnog
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1865 | |
Pliocercus dimidiatus Cope |
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Elapochrus dimidiatus Günther 1893 |
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Urotheca dimidiata Gaige, Hartweg & Stuart 1937 |
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Pliocercus euryzonus dimidiatus Dunn & Bailey 1939 |
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Pliocercus aequalis dimidiatus Pérez-Higareda & Smith 1986 |
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1951 | |
Pliocercus annellatus Taylor (Smith & Chiszar 2001e) |
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1954 | |
Pliocercus arubricus Taylor (Smith & Chiszar 2001e) |
Remarks:
Status uncertain.
Sometimes regarded as a synonym of euryzonus (e.g., Savage & Crother 1989; Sasa, Chaves & Porras 2010; Sunyer & Köhler 2010; Townsend & Wilson 2010b;
Wallach, Williams & Boundy 2014).
A record from Panama (Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) is regarded as erroneous, following Smith & Chiszar (2001e) who consider Costa Rica as the southern range limit
of the species.
Distribution:
Costa Rica,
Honduras,
Nicaragua.
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Pliocercus elapoides
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Variegated False Coral Snake, Long-tailed False Coral Snake
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Langschwanz-Halloweennatter
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Langhalet Koralsnog
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1860 | |
Pliocercus elapoides Cope |
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Urotheca elapoides Boulenger 1894 |
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1860 | |
Elapochrus deppei Peters (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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Pliocercus deppei Günther 1862 |
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1861 | |
Pleiocercus aequalis Salvin (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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Pliocercus aequalis Cope 1862 |
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Elapochrus aequalis Müller 1878 |
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Liophis elapoides aequalis Bocourt 1886 |
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Urotheca elapoides aequalis Werner 1896 |
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Urotheca aequalis Gadow 1911 |
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Pliocercus euryzonus aequalis Stuart 1948 |
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Pliocercus elapoides aequalis Smith & Chiszar 1996 |
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1863 | |
Liophis tricinctus Jan (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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1878 | |
Pliocercus salvinii Müller (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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Pliocercus elapoides salvinii Stuart 1948 |
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1881 | |
Pliocercus sargii Fischer (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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1886 | |
Liophis elapoides diastema Bocourt (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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Pliocercus elapoides diastemus Smith 1941 |
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1941 | |
Pliocercus elapoides laticollaris Smith (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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Pliocercus laticollaris Liner 1960 |
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1941 | |
Pliocercus elapoides semicinctus Schmidt (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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1942 | |
Pliocercus elapoides schmidti Smith (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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1952 | |
Pliocercus elapoides salvadorensis Mertens (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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1965 | |
Pliocercus elapoides occidentalis Smith & Landy (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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1957 | |
Pliocercus andrewsi pacificus Smith & Chrapliwy (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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1996 | |
Pliocercus psychoides Smith & Chiszar (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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1996 | |
Pliocercus wilmarai Smith, Perez-Higareda & Chiszar (Smith & Chiszar 2001f) |
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Pliocercus elapoides wilmarai Smith & Chiszar 2000 |
Other common names:
aequalis: Salvin's False Coral Snake
diastema: Bocourt's False Coral Snake
elapoides: Deppe's False Coral Snake
occidentalis: MacDougall's False Coral Snake
wilmarai: Mara's False Coral Snake
Remarks:
Some authors regard andrewsi as a synonym of elapoides. Smith & Chiszar (2001) tentatively corrected the type locality of psychoides to western central Guatemala and synonymized it with P. elapoides aequalis. The nominal species had previously been thought to originate from Brazil or Venezuela.
Distribution:
Belize,
El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras,
Mexico
(Campeche,
Chiapas,
Oaxaca,
Puebla,
Quintana Roo,
San Luis Potosi,
Tabasco,
Veracruz,
Yucatan).
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Pliocercus euryzonus
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Southern False Coral Snake, Black Halloween Snake, Halloween Snake, (Cope's False Coral Snake)
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Südliche Halloweennatter
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Sydlig Koralsnog
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1862 | |
Pliocercus euryzonus Cope |
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Elapochrus euryzona Günther 1893 |
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Urotheca euryzona Boulenger 1894 |
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Urotheca elapoides euryzona Amaral 1929 |
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Pliocercus aequalis euryzonus Pérez-Higareda & Smith 1986 |
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1863 | |
Liophis splendens Jan (Smith & Chiszar 2001g) |
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1996 | |
Pliocercus euryzonus burghardti Smith & Chiszar |
Other common names:
burghardti: Panamanian False Coral Snake, (Burghardt's False Coral Snake)
euryzonus: Andean False Coral Snake
Remarks:
Some authors regard dimidiatus as a synonym of euryzonus. Records from Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua refer to dimidiatus. Records from Brazil (e.g., Amaral 1929; Peters & Orejas-Miranda 1970) are regarded as erroneous (Smith & Chiszar 2001b; Stafford & Castro 2010), although perpetuated in some works (e.g., Costa & Bernils 2015).
Distribution:
Colombia,
Ecuador,
Panama.
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Pliocercus euryzonus
© Henrik Bringsøe
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