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

Posted by
  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 comprehensive description of the endemic Croatian polytrichous scorpion Euscorpius lagostae Di Caporiacco, 1950 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae)

Posted by

 


First comprehensive description of the endemic Croatian polytrichous scorpion Euscorpius lagostae Di Caporiacco, 1950 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae)

Abstract

Euscorpius lagostae Di Caporiacco, 1950, a poorly studied endemic species belonging to the Euscorpius hadzii Di Caporiacco, 1950 species complex, is redescribed with the first morphological illustrations and confirmed by molecular phylogenetic analysis based on broader sampling. New distribution records of E. lagostae from the western part of the Pelješac Peninsula, and Hvar Island are presented, and the first ecological insights into this neglected species are provided. This study represents the first step toward resolving the taxonomic status of the genetically closest taxa distributed along the coastal area from the Neretva River mouth to Montenegro, including the southeastern coast of the Pelješac Peninsula, Lokrum and Mljet Islands, and southern Herzegovina. Newly collected samples near Višegrad in the northeastern Dinarides (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and near the Adriatic coast, close to the Neretva River mouth (Croatia), revealed deeply divergent genetic lineages basal to the E. lagostae group.

Vignoli, V., Podnar, M., Kulijer, D. & Tvrtković, N. (2026). First comprehensive description of the endemic Croatian polytrichous scorpion Euscorpius lagostae Di Caporiacco, 1950 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae). Natura Croatica, 35 (2), 0-0. https://doi.org/10.20302/NC.2026.35.24