hasil studi genetika menyimpulkan bahwa nenek moyang ular ini adalah marga dari indo-malaya.
menunjukkan bahwa kelompok ini berasal dari asia.
semua jenis ular ini berbisa dan memilik warna dominan merah atau cokelat pada tubuh atau bagian tubuhnya.
untuk kelompok dari amerika, warna merah adalah warna utama.
seluruhnya adalah ular penggali liang dan juga tinggal di celah-celah batu.
panjang tubuh biasanya antara 30 cm sampai 1 meter, pernah pula ditemukan yang panjangnya mencapai 1,5 meter.
di amerika tengah, meksiko, dan as, banya jenis-jenis ular tidak berbisa yang memiliki warna serupa dengan ular karang amerika.
sehingga orang sering salah mengira bahwa ular-ular tersebut berbisa, tetapi sebenarnya tidak berbisa.
beberapa spesies ular di amerika utara yang warnanya menyerupai ular karang amerika adalah:
cemophora coccinea - ular belang bata
erythrolamprus ocellatus terdapat di pulau trinidad &
tobago, amerika selatan
lampropeltis elapsoides - ular raja merah
lampropeltis pyromelana - ular belang merah arizona
lampropeltis triangulum - ular susu amerika
biasanya cara yang digunakan oleh penduduk as adalah dengan menggunakan istilah-istilah dalam bahasa inggris sebagai berikut:
"red and yellow, kill a fellow.
red and black, friend of jack."
"red on yellow will kill a fellow, but red on black is a friend of jack."
"red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, cut him some slack!"
"red on yellow, deadly fellow; red on black, venom lack."
"red and yellow will kill you fellow; red and black is friend jack."
"red on yellow, kill a fellow.
red on black, you're all right jack."
"red next to black is a friend of jack; red next to yellow will kill a fellow."
"red to yellow, kill a fellow.
red to black, venom lack."
"if red touches black, you're okay jack; if red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow."
"red next to black, you can pat him on the back; red next to yellow, he can kill a fellow."
"red next to black, venom i lack; red next to yellow, run away fellow."
"red and black, friend of jack; red and yellow kill a fellow."
"red touches yellow, not a nice fellow; if red touches black, good friend of jack."
"red touch yellow, you're a dead fellow; red touch black, you're okay jack."
"red touch black, good for jack; red touch yellow, kill a fellow."
"yellow and red, you are dead; black and white you're all right."
"red and black, death you lack; yellow and red, you are dead; black and white, say good night;"
"red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, venom lack."
"red and yellow, deadly fellow; red and black, friendly jack."
"red next to yellow, a dangerous fellow."
"red and yellow = stop and use caution.
just like a stop light."
"red and yellow, deadly fellow.
red and black, friend of jack."
rumpun ini mencakup 4 genus, yakni:
calliophis - ular karang indo-malaya
micruroides - ular karang gurun sonoran
micrurus - ular karang amerika
sinomicrurus - ular karang asia
boulenger, g.a. 1896.
catalogue of the snakes in the british museum (natural history).
volume iii., containing the colubrid (opisthoglyph and proteroglyph)...
trustees of the british museum (natural history).
(taylor and francis, printers.) london.
xiv + 727 pp. + plates i.- xxv. (elaps, 28 species, pp. 411433 + plate xx.)
roze, j.a. 1996.
coral snakes of the americas: biology, identification, and venoms.
tanaka g. d., furtado md. f. d., portaro f. c. v., sant'anna o. a. &
tambourgi d. v. (2010).
"diversity of micrurus snake species related to their venom toxic effects and the prospective of antivenom neutralization".
plos neglected tropical diseases 4(3): e622.
micrurus @ the reptile database]
calliophis @ the reptile database
micruroides euryxanthus @ reptile database