Venom Mass Fingerprints for Species Delimitation, Reloaded: A Test Case with Italian Scorpions (Euscorpius)

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  Venom Mass Fingerprints for Species Delimitation, Reloaded: A Test Case with Italian Scorpions (Euscorpius) Abstract Scorpion venoms are complex mixtures of bioactive compounds including proteins, peptides and enzymes. Although venoms exhibit substantial intraspecific variation, some compounds appear to be species-specific, highlighting their potential as chemotaxonomic markers. Venom mass fingerprints (MFPs) derived from Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) Mass Spectrometry (MS) have been proposed as a means of delimiting species. However, their utility for species delimitation has rarely been evaluated against independent sources of taxonomic evidence. In the present study, the performance of MALDI-TOF MS-based venom peptide barcoding (mass ranges of m/z 800‒4500 and m/z 3000‒10,000) was assessed in 52 populations of eight Italian species of the scorpion genus Euscorpius Thorell, 1876, representing different levels of evolutionary divergenc...

Spatial Analysis of Scorpion Accidents in Brazil: Its Relation to Climate and Urbanization

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Spatial Analysis of Scorpion Accidents in Brazil: Its Relation to Climate and Urbanization


Abstract. This essay has the objective of performing a spatial analysis and of identifying spatial pattern configurations of scorpion accidents, in order to assist in the implementation of projects and interventions for the prevention and control of areas infested by venomous animals. Between the data surveys and statistical data bank organizations we can quote the Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde - DATASUS (Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System), agency of the Secretaria de Gestão Estratégica e Participativa do Ministério da Saúde (Office of Strategic and Participatory Management at the Ministry of Health), in the years of 2019 and 2020, for the Brazilian territory. The modeling and data collection were developed, and organized into a geographic database, exploratory data analysis, spatial analysis, as well as the production of thematic maps, with identified spatial patterns. As a result a systematized set of thematic maps was obtained which presents the distribution of scorpion-caused accidents. Finally, a geographic analysis was conducted in order to analyze the data and results found, as well as the information conveyed in terms of demographic factors. It was found then a certain concentration of cases, which can generate a relationship between tropical climates and with the distribution of urbanized areas.


Gardim, G. S., Antonio, A. C. P., and Pugliesi, E. A.: Spatial Analysis of Scorpion Accidents in Brazil: Its Relation to Climate and Urbanization, Adv. Cartogr. GIScience Int. Cartogr. Assoc., 4, 7, https://doi.org/10.5194/ica-adv-4-7-2023, 2023.