 However, this rhyme is only applicable to the United States species, and cannot be used reliably in the Caribbean, or Central or South America.Among the many common names for "M. fulvius" are eastern coral snake, American cobra, candy-stick snake, common coral snake, coral adder, Elaps harlequin snake, Florida coral snake, harlequin coral snake, North American coral snake, red bead snake, thunder-and-lightning snake, and, in Spanish, "serpiente-coralillo arlequín" (literally "harlequin coral snake")."M.