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 considerations on the species of the genus Bothriurus Peters (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae) described or cited from the state of Paraná, Brazil and description of a new species

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New considerations on the species of the genus Bothriurus Peters (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae) described or cited from the state of Paraná, Brazil and description of a new species

Abstract

A new species, Bothriurus trifinium sp. n. is described from an area of Riparian wet-forests in the Northwest of the state of Paraná in Brazil. The new species can be associated with other species previously described from the nearby regions of Paraná but also from Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraguay. The description of this new species attests once again about the existence of micro-endemic populations within different groups of Bothriurus. Comments are also proposed on the taxonomic status of some previously described species, with one species revalidated and some synonymies suggested.

Wilson R. Lourenço, Lucienne Wilmé, Éric Ythier. New considerations on the species of the genus Bothriurus Peters (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae) described or cited from the state of Paraná, Brazil and description of a new species.. Faunitaxys, 2026, 14 (56), pp.1-10. ⟨10.57800/faunitaxys-14(56)⟩. ⟨hal-05716551⟩