Micrurus diastema
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Micrurus diastema, commonly known as the diastema coral snake, the variable coral snake, and coral diastema in Spanish, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to southeastern Mexico and northern Central America. There are seven recognized subspecies.
Micrurus diastema occurs in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and southeastern Mexico. The preferred natural habitat of Micrurus diastema is tropical wet, moist, and dry forest from near sea level to 1,250 m (4,100 ft), but it tolerates habitat disturbance and is also found in agricultural areas.
Micrurus diastema is terrestrial. Micrurus diastema is oviparous. There are seven subspecies which are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Micrurus diastema affinis (Jan, 1858) Micrurus diastema aglaeope (Cope, 1860)
Micrurus diastema alienus (F. Werner, 1903) Micrurus diastema apiatus (Jan, 1858) Micrurus diastema diastema (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) Micrurus diastema macdougalli Roze, 1967 Micrurus diastema sapperi (F. Werner, 1903)
Nota bene: A trinomial authority... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
No species of the same family or order lives in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Coralsnake sighting in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 19th most-seen of the 46 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Coralsnake in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, May and October–November, the lowest months. Those are among Calakmul Biosphere Reserve's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Coralsnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Variable Coralsnake sightings, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%) and Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park (Honduras, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Coralsnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (13 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
