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...

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

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

Abstract

Nine new records of spider species (Arachnida: Araneae) from six localities in the Republic of Sudan are documented. Pardosa naevia (L. Koch, 1875) (Lycosidae) was found in the Dinder National Park in an area belonging to Sennar State, while Uroctea sudanensis Benoit, 1966 (Oecobiidae), previously known from Renk, South Sudan, was found in Sennar itself. Berlandina venatrix (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) (Gnaphosidae) was found at two localities: El-Hasahisa (Gezira State) and Dongola (Northern State). Thanatus sepiacolor Levy, 1999 (Philodromidae) was found in Dongola, Thanatus setiger (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) was recorded from three localities: Atbara (River Nile State), the Dinder National Park (also in Sennar State), and Dongola, and Thanatus vulgaris Simon, 1870 was also recorded from the Dinder National Park. Cheiracanthium furculatum Karsch, 1879 (Cheiracanthiidae) and Olios suavis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) were found in Dongola. Thomisus zyuzini Marusik & Logunov, 1990 (Thomisidae) was recorded from Atbara. Several new localities for previously recorded Sudanese spider species are also presented.

Manal E. Siyam, Jason A. Dunlop, Peter Jäger, Hisham K. El-Hennawy "New spider species records, and new distributional records, from The Republic of Sudan (Arachnida: Araneae)," Arachnology, 20(5), 699-708, (8 July 2026) https://doi.org/10.13156/arac.2026.20.5.9