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...

Spider (Arachnida, Araneae) fauna of the lowland part of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin (SE Kazakhstan): an integrated assessment

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Spider (Arachnida, Araneae) fauna of the lowland part of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin (SE Kazakhstan): an integrated assessment

Background

Despite more than a century of research (since 1896 to the present), a comprehensive summary of the spider fauna of the lowland part of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin is still lacking. The scattered and fragmentary nature of the available data hampers a thorough assessment of the species diversity and zoogeographical features of this territory.

New information

For the first time, based on original material, published scientific sources and records from open-access resources (GBIF, iNaturalist), a comprehensive assessment of the diversity of the spider fauna in the lowland and foothill arid parts of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin has been carried out. To date, this is the only and most complete list of spiders in the region.

Original records are presented, including rare and little-known species for the region, with refined data on their ranges. The quality of open-access data was evaluated and its main shortcomings were identified. It is shown that, with the involvement of experienced naturalists who maintain contact with specialists, the proportion of reliable records can be significantly higher. The results broaden our knowledge of spider biodiversity in the region and may serve as a basis for future faunistic and zoogeographical studies.

Nekhaeva A, Kim L, Ishayeva A, Ozernoy A, Sozontov A (2026) Spider (Arachnida, Araneae) fauna of the lowland part of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin (SE Kazakhstan): an integrated assessment. Biodiversity Data Journal 14: e181501. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e181501