White-banded coral snake
Cobra coral de cinta branca
M. albicinctus reaches a maximum of 57 cm, averaging between 40 to 50 cm. The dorsal pattern consists of black scales contrasted with white bands. These white bands consist of a series of small transverse white spots. The top of the head is black with large white or gray spots on the prefontal and/or internasal scales. More spots may be present on other head scales. The chin is white with the infralabial scale having partial black coloration. The ventral scales are black with short white crossbands. (Roze, 1996).
There are 189 to 218 ventral scales and 32 to 49 subcaudal scales (Roze, 1996).
Brazil: Amazonas, Mato Gosso, Rondonia, and Acre, and perhaps into Bolivia, 100 to 250 m.
Holotype: MNR 376
Type-locality: None given, but the collection containing the type came from northern and central Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Cuhna and Nascimento (1982) synonymized M. albicinctus with M. ornatissimus, but Cunha and Nascimento (1991) subsequently recognized M. albicinctus as a valid species. Roze (1967) synonymized M. waehnerorum with M. albicinctus.
