Micrelaps muelleri is a species of venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to the Middle East.
The specific name, muelleri, is in honor of Swiss herpetologist Fritz Müller.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Venom is a type of poison, especially one secreted by an animal. It is delivered in a bite, sting, or similar action. Venom has evolved in terrestr...
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starts withMicrelaps muelleri is black, with whitish zigzag-edged rings, which may be narrower or wider than the spaces between them, mostly interrupted ventrally.
Adults may attain a total length of 40.5 cm (15.9 in), which includes a tail 3 cm (1.2 in) long.
The dorsal scales are smooth, without apical pits, and arranged in 15 rows at midbody. The ventrals number 251–275. The anal plate is divided. The subcaudals, which are also divided, number 26–32.
The head is very flattened. The rostral is nearly twice as broad as deep, just visible from above. The internasals are a little broader than long, shorter than the prefrontals. The frontal is small, not broader than the supraocular, 1⅔ times as long as broad, hardly as long as its distance from the rostral, half as long as the parietals. Each supraocular is as long as broad. A small postocular is in contact with the first temporal. The temporals are arranged 1+1 or 1+2. There are seven upper labials, the third and fourth entering the eye. There are three or four lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shield. The anterior chin shields are as long as the posterior chin shields.
Micrelaps muelleri is found in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
The preferred habitats of M. muelleri include Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and arable land.
Micrelaps muelleri is oviparous.
Micrelaps muelleri is classified as "least concern" (LC) according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Although its range is relatively restricted, there are not believed to be major threats to it. It is present in some protected areas.
