Beyond Venom and Constriction: Bite Performance and Trophic Ecology in the Genus Drymarchon

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  Beyond Venom and Constriction: Bite Performance and Trophic Ecology in the Genus Drymarchon Abstract Snakes exhibit extreme cranial kinesis that facilitates ingestion of prey with large cross-sectional area, but this ability is widely predicted to reduce bite performance due to decreased structural rigidity. Consequently, most large-bodied snakes rely on envenomation or constriction to subdue prey prior to ingestion. Species within the genus Drymarchon represent a notable exception: these large, non-venomous, non-constricting snakes routinely consume a wide range of prey, including large and potentially dangerous vertebrates, using only simple seizing and pinioning behaviors. Here, we quantify bite performance in three species of Drymarchon ( D. corais, D. couperi, and D. melanurus ), examine morphological predictors of biting performance, compare biting pressure to constriction pressure in similarly sized snakes, and synthesize dietary records across the genus. Our results sh...

A new species of Ummidia Thorell, 1875, from Útila Island, Honduras (Araneae: Halonoproctidae)

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A new species of Ummidia Thorell, 1875, from Útila Island, Honduras (Araneae: Halonoproctidae)

Abstract

A new species of the charismatic mygalomorph genus Ummidia Thorell, 1875 is described from Utila Island, Honduras. Ummidia sukuhpaya sp. nov. represents the third species known from Honduras, and the first species known from Utila.

Cubas-Rodríguez, A. M., Brown, T. W., & Sherwood, D. (2024). A new species of Ummidia Thorell, 1875, from Útila Island, Honduras (Araneae: Halonoproctidae). Acta Zoológica Lilloana, 411–421. https://doi.org/10.30550/j.azl/1990