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...

On the identity of the poorly known spider species Centromerus obscurus Boesenberg, 1902 and description of a new species (Araneae: Linyphiidae)

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On the identity of the poorly known spider species Centromerus obscurus Boesenberg, 1902 and description of a new species (Araneae: Linyphiidae)

Abstract

The taxonomic status and distribution of the poorly known linyphiid species Centromerus obscurus Boesenberg, 1902 is discussed on the basis of newly collected material from Bulgaria. Additionally, after a review of the related literature and the newly collected material, a new species of Centromerus species, C. thaleri sp. n., is described based on both sexes and Centromerus obscurus is considered nomen dubium stat. reconf. 

Deltshev, C. & Indzhov, S. (2026). On the identity of the poorly known spider species Centromerus obscurus Boesenberg, 1902 and description of a new species (Araneae: Linyphiidae). Historia Naturalis Bulgarica 48(6): 159-164. doi: 10.48027/hnb.48.062