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...

Studies on spider nomenclature V: the taxonomic status of Drassus maillardii Vinson, 1863, with two new synonymies, a neotype, new combinations and a new genus (Araneae: Gnaphosidae)

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Studies on spider nomenclature V: the taxonomic status of Drassus maillardii Vinson, 1863, with two new synonymies, a neotype, new combinations and a new genus (Araneae: Gnaphosidae)

Abstract
A new gnaphosid genus, Sorkinius gen. nov., is described to house divergent species from East Africa, Réunion and the Seychelles. A neotype is designated for the type species, Sorkinius maillardii comb. nov. et stat. rev., formerly described as Dras sus maillardii Vinson, 1863 and previously considered a nomen dubium since 1955. Xerophaeus espoir Platnick, 1981 syn. nov. and Xerophaeus oceanicus Schmidt & Jocqué, 1983 syn. nov. are both proposed as junior synonyms of S. maillardii comb. nov. Sorkinius kibonotensis Tullgren, 1910 comb. nov. et stat. rev. is transferred to the new genus and elevated to species level from its previous parent species Xerophaeus coruscus L. Koch, 1875, with notes on its history. Sorkinius coruscus comb. nov. is itself treated as a valid and distinct species.

Sherwood, Danniella & Jocqué, Rudy & Cazanove, Grégory & Derepas, Brice. (2025). Studies on spider nomenclature V: the taxonomic status of Drassus maillardii Vinson, 1863, with two new synonymies, a neotype, new combinations and a new genus (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología. 47. 9-18.