Medium-sized snake that can grow up to 120 cm, although the average length of the adults is between 75 and 90 cm. The head is not very differentiated from the neck, it has a round snout and the tail is relatively short. A bicolored coral, with a succession of full short red and black, or white and black rings. The red varies in tones of pink to orange.  Some animals with white and black rings along the body have red and black rings on the head and tail.

Terrestrial, with elusive habits which are hard to determine. It feeds of caecilians and possibly other snakes. It can be found in the Caribbean slope from Nicaragua to Colombia and Venezuela, as well as in Ecuador. In Costa Rica, it lives in humid forests of the Caribbean, from sea level to 1200 m of altitude.