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...

The occasionally broken tibial apophysis of male Oxyopes heterophthalmus (Latreille, 1804) (Araneae: Oxyopidae)

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The occasionally broken tibial apophysis of male Oxyopes heterophthalmus (Latreille, 1804) (Araneae: Oxyopidae)

Abstract and figures
The breakage of the distinctive laterally bent tibial apophysis found on the male palp of Oxyopes heterophthalmus (La-treille, 1804) has been discussed textually in prior works, but no illustrations of such palps have been published. We herein provide the first photographs of post-breakage palps, to aid future workers in recognising injured palps of this species, also discussing how such palps can be readily visually distinguished from teratological morphology. Rotura ocasional de la apófisis tibial del palpo en machos de Oxyopes heterophthalmus (Latreille, 1804) (Araneae: Oxyopidae).

Tchilinguirian, Julien & Sherwood, Danniella. (2025). The occasionally broken tibial apophysis of male Oxyopes heterophthalmus (Latreille, 1804) (Araneae: Oxyopidae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología. 47. 155–157.