Beyond Venom and Constriction: Bite Performance and Trophic Ecology in the Genus Drymarchon

  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...

Arachnology, Vol. 20, No. 5 (Summer 2026)

 


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Computer-assisted mode of walking detection and manoeuvrability analysis of huntsman spiders

Mobin Saboohi, Majid Moradmand, Shima Zaferani & Daniel Renjewski
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 641-652
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.1/Computer-assisted-mode-of-walking-detection-and-manoeuvrability-analysis-of/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.1.full


Malagadiphya gen. nov., a new genus of Diphyainae Simon, 1894 (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) from rainforest in northern Madagascar

Brogan L. Pett
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 653-658
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.2/Malagadiphya-gen-nov-a-new-genus-of-Diphyainae-Simon-1894/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.2.full


Insights into the distribution and ecology of the funnelweb spider Macrothele calpeiana in Portugal

Luís Palma & Ana Filipa Palmeirim
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 659-669
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.3/Insights-into-the-distribution-and-ecology-of-the-funnelweb-spider/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.3.full


A new edaphic species of dragon pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae: Karrichthonius) from southwestern Australia

Mark S. Harvey & Michael G. Rix
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 670-677
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.4/A-new-edaphic-species-of-dragon-pseudoscorpion-Pseudoscorpiones--Pseudotyrannochthoniidae/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.4.full


Unravelling a river of silk: massive spider aggregation after a drought in southern Uruguay

Paulina Pintos, Manuel Cajade, Diego Cavassa, Nadia Kacevas, Verónica Gonnet, Marcelo Casacuberta & Anita Aisenberg
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 678-681
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.5/Unravelling-a-river-of-silk--massive-spider-aggregation-after/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.5.full


Predatory behaviour of the spider Vigdisia praesidens on Nasutitermes canaliculatus termites during nest repair

Matjaž Gregorič, Andreas Guðmundsson Gaehwiller, Eneka Abel Sigurðardóttir, Fandresena Siméon, Snorri Björn Magnússon, Sóley Karlsdóttir, Snædís Huld Björnsdóttir & Ingi Agnarsson
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 682-687
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.6/Predatory-behaviour-of-the-spider-Vigdisia-praesidens-on-Nasutitermes-canaliculatus/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.6.full


Predatoroonops naru (Araneae: Oonopidae): a new goblin spider species from Brazil

Marcela Oliveira-Santos & Adalberto J. Santos
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 688-692
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.7/Predatoroonops-naru-Araneae--Oonopidae--a-new-goblin-spider/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.7.full


A new species of Harpactocrates Simon, 1914 (Araneae: Dysderidae) from Cantabria, Spain

Alberto J. Narro-Martín
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 693-698
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.8/A-new-species-of-Harpactocrates-Simon-1914-Araneae--Dysderidae/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.8.full


New spider species records, and new distributional records, from The Republic of Sudan (Arachnida: Araneae)

Manal E. Siyam, Jason A. Dunlop, Peter Jäger & Hisham K. El-Hennawy
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 699-708
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.9/New-spider-species-records-and-new-distributional-records-from-The/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.9.full


Temperature-induced changes in lipids and fatty acids in spiders

Gabriel Molina, Aldana Laino, Luciano Peralta & Carlos Fernando Garcia
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 709-716
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.10/Temperature-induced-changes-in-lipids-and-fatty-acids-in-spiders/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.10.full


Microhabitat filtering structures spider assemblages across human-built indoor–outdoor environments in eastern Panama

José Solís-Cianca, José Hernández-Bonilla, Darwin Díaz-Quirós, Yostin Añino, Marcos Riquelme, Alonso Santos-Murgas, Nilka Lineth Torres S. & Anette Garrido-Trujillo
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 717-726
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.11/Microhabitat-filtering-structures-spider-assemblages-across-human-built-indooroutdoor-environments/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.11.full


The effects of temperature on interference competition in the regal jumping spider Phidippus regius Koch, 1846 (Araneae: Salticidae)

Richard Thacker & Phillip Cowie
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 727-735
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.12/The-effects-of-temperature-on-interference-competition-in-the-regal/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.12.full


Distribution and population structure of endemic Himachalus pradeshicus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae) in temperate forests of the north-western Himalayas

Shivani Devi, Deepali Sambyal, Kana Mana, Archi Sehgal & Jatinder Mohan Julka
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 736-743
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.13/Distribution-and-population-structure-of-endemic-Himachalus-pradeshicus-Opiliones/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.13.full


Resurrection of the erigonine spider Ceratinopsis tybeensis (Araneae: Linyphiidae) with the first description of the male

Marc A. Milne & Taylor Stahl
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 744-748
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.14/Resurrection-of-the-erigonine-spider-Ceratinopsis-tybeensis-Araneae--Linyphiidae/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.14.full


A new species of the trapdoor spider genus Tigidia Simon, 1892 (Araneae: Barychelidae) from the Deccan Plateau, India

Rishikesh Tripathi, Prasad Bolde & Abi Tamim Vanak
Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 749-752
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.15/A-new-species-of-the-trapdoor-spider-genus-Tigidia-Simon/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.15.full


Corrigendum


Arachnology Jul 2026 Vol. 20, No. 5: 708-708
https://www.bioone.org/journals/arachnology/volume-20/issue-5/arac.2026.20.5.16/Corrigendum/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.16.full