Ninia sebae, commonly known as the redback coffee snake or the red coffee snake, is a species of small terrestrial snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to southeastern Mexico and Central America south to Costa Rica. Although it resembles some venomous coral snakes in color and size, it is not venomous and rarely bites humans."Ninia sebae ". The Encyclopedia of Life. http://eol.org/pages/791350/overview.Savage, Jay M. (2002). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 934 pp. . (Ninia sebae, pp. 620-622 + Plate 388).
Etymology The specific name, sebae, is in honor of Dutch naturalist Albertus Seba.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Ninia sebae, p. 240).
Subspecies Four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Ninia sebae immaculata Ninia sebae morleyi Ninia sebae punctulata Ninia sebae sebae
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Ninia.
Habitat The preferred natural habitats of N. sebae are forest and savanna, at altitudes from sea level to .
Behavior Coffee snakes (species in the genus Ninia) are thought to rely on concealment, flight and intimidation to avoid predation. These snakes were observed either flattening their entire bodies when alarmed, or remaining motionless in whatever position they were discovered. 204 pp. (in Spanish). In a more recent study these snakes, when touched, displayed a flattened head and neck, and raised their anterior third or half.
Diet N. sebae preys upon earthworms, slugs, small land snails, and caecilians.
Reproduction N. sebae is oviparous.
References
Further reading
Bocourt MF (1883). "Études sur les reptiles ". pp. i–xiv, 1–1012. In: Duméril A[HA], Bocourt MF, Mocquard F (1870–1909). Recherches Zoologiques pour servir a l'Histoire de la Faune de l'Amérique Centrale et du Mexique. Paris: Mission Scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amérique. (Impremerie Impériale, printer). (Streptophorus sebae var. punctulata, new variety, pp. 547–548). (in French). Duméril A-M-C, Bibron G, Duméril A[-H-A] (1854). Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Première partie. Comprenant l'histoire des serpents non venimeux [= General Herpetology or Complete Natural History of the Reptiles. Volume 7. Part 1. Containing the Natural History of the Nonvenomous Snakes]. Paris: Roret. xvi + 780 pp. (Streptophorus sebae, new species, pp. 115–117). (in French). Heimes P (2016). Snakes of Mexico: Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. I. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Chimaira. 572 pp. . Schmidt KP, Andrews EW (1936). "Notes on Snakes from Yucatan". Zoological Series of Field Museum of Natural History 20 (18): 167–187. (Ninia sebae morleyi, new subspecies, pp. 169–171). Schmidt KP, Rand AS (1957). "Geographic Variation in the Central American Colubrine Snake, Ninia sebae". Fieldiana · Zoology 39 (10): 73—84. (Ninia sebae immaculata, new subspecies, pp. 81–82).