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...

First record of troglobitic Bothriuridae (Scorpiones) in Australia from the Pilbara

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First record of troglobitic Bothriuridae (Scorpiones) in Australia from the Pilbara

Abstract

We report the first troglobitic members of the scorpion family Bothriuridae from Australia, discovered in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and provide a brief review of Australian troglofaunal scorpions. Scorpions are rare in subterranean ecosystems, with only 28 species recorded globally. Two described and two undescribed subterranean scorpion species were previously known from Australia. The Pilbara specimen documented herein exhibit pronounced troglomorphic traits, including complete loss of ocelli and pigmentation and weakened/diminished appendages, consistent with obligate subterranean adaptation. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses place the specimen within Bothriuridae. Photographs, collection details, and molecular data are provided. Together with a previously collected undescribed bothriurid from the Pilbara, this discovery represents the first documented troglobitic Bothriuridae globally. Formal taxonomic treatment will follow in a subsequent dedicated study.

Curran M, Rodman S, Huey J, Floeckner S, Gunawardene N, Lythe M, Main D (2026) First record of troglobitic Bothriuridae (Scorpiones) in Australia from the Pilbara. Subterranean Biology 56: 85-101. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.56.190758