Which snake family contains the New World coral snakes?

Elapidae is the snake family containing the New World coral snakes.

Elapids are venomous snakes with fixed front fangs. The family includes coral snakes of the Americas as well as cobras, kraits, mambas, taipans and sea snakes. Their venom systems are often dominated by neurotoxins, which can interfere with nerve and muscle function.

New World coral snakes belong mainly to the genera Micruroides, Leptomicrurus and Micrurus. Many have vivid rings of red, yellow or white and black, but color patterns vary by species and region. The popular rhyming rules used to identify coral snakes are not universally reliable outside the areas where they were created.

Coral snakes are often confused with harmless kingsnakes and milk snakes because of their similar banding. Correct identification should rely on geographic range and formal features, not a rhyme alone.