Erythrolamprus ocellatus
Encyclopedia
Erythrolamprus ocellatus, the Tobago False Coral is a snake
which is endemic
to the island of Tobago
(in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago). Unlike other Erythrolapus species, E. ocellatus is not sympatric
with coral snake
s and has a spotted rather than a banded pattern. It probably feeds on other snakes.
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
which is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the island of Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
(in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago). Unlike other Erythrolapus species, E. ocellatus is not sympatric
Sympatry
In biology, two species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus regularly encounter one another. An initially-interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sharing a common range exemplifies sympatric speciation...
with coral snake
Coral snake
The coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be subdivided into two distinct groups, Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes...
s and has a spotted rather than a banded pattern. It probably feeds on other snakes.