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 the genus Cicurina Menge, 1871 (Araneae: Cicurinidae) from Hachijojima Island, Tokyo, with notes on the congeners in Japan and China

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A new species of the genus Cicurina Menge, 1871 (Araneae: Cicurinidae) from Hachijojima Island, Tokyo, with notes on the congeners in Japan and China

Abstract
A new species of Cicurina, C. auster sp. nov. is described from Hachijojima Island, Tokyo, Japan. The morphology of the copulatory organs of the new species is similar to those of some Cicurina species known in China, while it is clearly different from all the known species from Japan. The results of a comparative examination between the new species and congeners from Japan and China are presented. A presumption about a possibility of the human introduction of the new species from the Ryukyu Islands is mentioned.
Ken-ichi Okumura, Hirotsugu Ono, A new species of the genus Cicurina Menge, 1871 (Araneae: Cicurinidae) from Hachijojima Island, Tokyo, with notes on the congeners in Japan and China, Acta Arachnologica, 2025, Volume 74, Issue 1, Pages 45-49, Released on J-STAGE August 20, 2025, Online ISSN 1880-7852, Print ISSN 0001-5202, https://doi.org/10.2476/asjaa.74.45