Brief history of ophidiology and ophidism in Colombia

Posted by
  Brief history of ophidiology and ophidism in Colombia  Abstract This review traces the historical trajectory of ophidiology (the study of snakes) and ophidism (snakebite envenoming) within the Colombian context. Despite the profound cultural and scientific significance of the human–serpent relationship in the region, the relevant literature remains fragmented, with foundational historical works neither digitized nor readily accessible. To address this, we conducted a narrative review of primary sources spanning from the pre-Colombian era to the present. Our methodology involved sourcing material from specialized libraries, historical archives, personal collections and contemporary scientific databases. The analysis identifies and contextualizes pivotal contributions across distinct historical periods, from early archeological evidence and colonial accounts to foundational eighteenth-century works and the formalized scientific studies of the last two centuries. The review cul...

A baffling case of morphological, molecular and ecological discordance in Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with the description of five new species from southern India

Posted by

 


A baffling case of morphological, molecular and ecological discordance in Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with the description of five new species from southern India

Abstract

The Western and Eastern Ghats of the Peninsular India are known for their high biological diversity, which is shaped due to various geological barriers and environmental parameters. Scorpion diversity in Peninsular India remains poorly known thereby warranting a need to undertake rigorous arachnological surveys. In our continued effort to discover scorpion lineages hitherto unknown to science, we describe five new species of the genus Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 which were obtained from southern India, and discuss morphological, molecular and ecological discordance within this genus. The validity of Reddyanus atherii Amir and Kamaluddin, 2008, Isometrus liaqatii Amir and Kamaluddin, 2008 and Isometrus formosus Pocock, 1894 is also commented upon, with implications to propose taxonomic changes within the genus.

Shubhankar Deshpande, Gaurang Gowande, Nikhil Dandekar, Mihir Joshi, Deshabhushan Bastawade, Shauri Sulakhe, A baffling case of morphological, molecular and ecological discordance in Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with the description of five new species from southern India, Zoologischer Anzeiger, 2023, ISSN 0044-5231,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2023.11.001.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044523123001055)