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...

Synopsis of the scorpions (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Diplocentridae) of Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, with description of a new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 from La Désirade

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Synopsis of the scorpions (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Diplocentridae) of Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, with description of a new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 from La Désirade

Abstract. – A synopsis is provided for the scorpions of the Guadeloupe archipelago, including diagnoses, illustrations and distribution records. A biodiversity survey recently conducted in three islands of Guadeloupe (La Désirade, Marie-Galante and Les Saintes) allowed the description of a new species of the genus Oiclus Simon, 1880: O. desirade sp. n. from La Désirade, possibly endemic from this island. This new taxon raises to height the number of described Oiclus species and confirms again that this genus endemic to the Lesser Antilles is more diverse than originally suspected. The number of known scorpion species occurring in the Guadeloupe archipelago is increased to nine. A map of their geographical distribution is presented and a key for their identification is provided. Comments on the conservation status of some species from Guadeloupe are also proposed.

Ythier E. & Ramage T., 2025. – Synopsis of the scorpions (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Diplocentridae) of Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, with description of a new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 from La Désirade. Faunitaxys, 13(23): 1 – 12.

https://doi.org/10.57800/faunitaxys-13(23) - https://zoobank.org/1D62D664-5AD2-4AE6-BA9D-DEE3EA4C83B2