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...

Three new and exceptional Damarchus species from Thailand (Araneae: Bemmeridae)

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Three new and exceptional Damarchus species from Thailand (Araneae: Bemmeridae)

Abstract

Damarchus pylorus sp. nov., D. lanna sp. nov. and D. dao sp. nov. are described from males and females collected in western and northern Thailand. Damarchus pylorus sp. nov. and D. lanna sp. nov. are morphologically unique within the genus by males having a para-embolic apophysis and a keel composed of coarse laminae on the lower (posterior) side of the palpal organ, and by females having sperm receptacles, composed of a strongly sclerotized base and an unsclerotized head, situated on the ventral side of a relatively long genital atrium. The distantly related D. dao sp. nov. is distinguished from all other congeners by males having a tibia I coupling spur with three megaspines. Presumed relationships of these three species and of the genus Damarchus are discussed. Information on biology and burrow structures of the new species is provided. Damarchus pylorus sp. nov. stands out by plugging the side shaft of its burrow with a soil pellet; similar plugging devices in unbranched burrows are known from other spider families.

https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5336.4.2

Schwendinger, P. J. & Hongpadharakiree, K. (2023). Three new and exceptional Damarchus species from Thailand (Araneae: Bemmeridae). Zootaxa 5336(4): 481-508. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5336.4.2

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