Venom Variation as a Window into the Ecology and Evolution of Snakes

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  Venom Variation as a Window into the Ecology and Evolution of Snakes Abstract Snake venoms are complex biochemical systems that function primarily in prey subjugation and defense, yet their composition varies extensively across individuals, populations, species, and environments. This variation provides a powerful framework for investigating ecological and evolutionary processes. Here, we offer a forward-looking synthesis of snake venom diversity that proposes new research directions and highlights how venom variation can illuminate eco-evolutionary dynamics across biological scales. We review evidence for ten key contexts in which venom variation arises, including within-population differences, sexual dimorphism, geographic structuring, ontogenetic shifts, seasonal changes, interspecific divergence, hybridization, convergent evolution, prey specificity, and venom resistance. Together, these processes demonstrate that venom phenotypes are shaped by interacting selective pressures...

A remarkable new species of Betaburmesebuthus Lourenço, 2015 from Burmite (Scorpiones: Palaeoburmesebuthidae)

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A remarkable new species of Betaburmesebuthus Lourenço, 2015 from Burmite (Scorpiones: Palaeoburmesebuthidae)

Abstract

The study of one new Palaeoburmesebuthidae scorpion from Cretaceous Burmite leads to the description of a new species belonging to the genus Betaburmesebuthus Lourenço, 2015. Although the number of species in this genus was greatly improved in recent years, the new species can be defined based on quite distinct characters. The discovery of this new element confirms, once again, the existence of an important diversity within the Burmite fauna.

Wilson R. Lourenço, Jürgen Velten. A remarkable new species of Betaburmesebuthus Lourenço, 2015 from Burmite (Scorpiones: Palaeoburmesebuthidae). Faunitaxys, 2023, 11 (78), pp.1-5. ⟨hal-04330833⟩