It has been reported on Diamond Rock (Rocher du Diamant), which may be the last refuge for the species.

The French naturalist Bernard Germain Étienne de la Ville, Comte de Lacépède first described it in 1789 in his Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupèdes Ovipares et de Serpens.

The genus Erythrolamprus belongs to the subfamily Dipsadinae, which is sometimes referred to as the family Dipsadidae.

The relationships of Erythrolamprus species located in northern South America can be shown in the cladogram below, based on molecular DNA analysis:[3] E. poecilogyrus (paraphyletic) E. ceii E. poecilogyrus (paraphyletic) E. miliaris E. miliaris E. typhlus (Brazil) (paraphyletic) E. reginae (paraphyletic) E. reginae (paraphyletic) E. zweifeli E. breviceps E. epinephalus (Peru) (paraphyletic) E. epinephalus (Costa Rica) (paraphyletic) E. pseudoreginae E. melanotus E. atraventer E. jaegeri E. almadensis E. juliae Erythrolamprus cursor E. typhlus (French Guiana) (paraphyletic) E. cobella E. aesculapii (Brazil) (paraphyletic) E. ocellatus E. aesculapii (French Guiana & Guyana) (paraphyletic) E. bizona E. mimus The snake is diurnal and lives on the ground, usually hidden under leaves and wood.

The importation to Martinique of other species of snakes, and of mongooses to control them, have driven it to near extinction.