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 data on Anatolidion Wunderlich, 2008, Neottiura Menge, 1868, and Theridion Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from the South Caucasus

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Abstract

In this paper, we present new taxonomic and faunistic data on the genera Anatolidion Wunderlich, 2008, Neottiura Menge, 1868, and Theridion Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Theridiidae) occurring in the South Caucasus. Four species of Theridion are described as new to science: Th. absheronicum sp. nov. (♂♀; Azerbaijan), Th. araratense sp. nov. (♂♀; Armenia), Th. caucasicum sp. nov. (♂♀; Armenia, Azerbaijan), and Th. huseynovi sp. nov. (♂♀; Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran); DNA barcodes are provided for the latter species. A new combination, Anatolidion arsia (Zamani & Marusik, 2021) comb. nov. (ex Theridion), is proposed; this species is newly recorded from the Caucasus, and its male is described for the first time. Additionally, Th. betteni Wiehle, 1960 is recorded from the South Caucasus for the first time, and N. suaveolens (Simon, 1880) is newly recorded in Azerbaijan. Distribution records for all treated species in the South Caucasus are mapped.

Zamani, A., Seropian, A. & Marusik, Y.M. (2026) New data on Anatolidion Wunderlich, 2008, Neottiura Menge, 1868, and Theridion Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from the South Caucasus. Zootaxa, 5866 (2), 231–252. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5866.2.2