Two new arthropod toxins purified from the venom of the Mexican scorpion Centruroides nigrescens

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  Two new arthropod toxins purified from the venom of the Mexican scorpion Centruroides nigrescens Abstract The venom of the slender black scorpion Centruroides nigrescens , from the State of Guerrero México, was fractionated by Sephadex G–50 gel filtration, followed by carboxymethyl cellulose ion separation and high–performance liquid chromatography, permitting to obtain two new peptides toxic to arthropods. The estimate LD 50 of the soluble venom for the insect Acheta domesticus was 11.1 μg/g body weight, and for the arthropod Armadillidium vulgare was 61.1 μg body weight . The amino acid sequence of toxin Cnige1 (toxic to A. domesticus and A. vulgare ) contains 65 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 7273.37 mass units, whereas toxin Cnige2, toxic to A. domesticus , contains 68 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 7548.81 units. Both peptides are well packed, containing 8 cysteines, which in the native venoms are forming 4 disulfide bridges each. The amino acid sequences f...

Biology, morphology and molecular study of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Arachnida: Scorpiones)

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Biology, morphology and molecular study of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Arachnida: Scorpiones)

Sassanidotus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) is a small genus of scorpions described by Farzanpay (1987). The size of adult members is about 50 mm and overall color of the body is yellow. This genus has two species. Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) has been described morphologically from Zabol, southeast of Iran. Sassanidotus zarudnyi (Birula, 1900) was described based on a holotype from Teheran, North of Iran. Limitations in morphology-based identification systems indicate the need for molecular study to taxon identification. To confirm the validity and redescription of Sassanidotus gracilis, twenty specimens collected from Sistan & Baluchistan province were studied morphologically and molecularly. Sassanidotus gracilis were redescribed. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference phylogenetic trees show that members of Sassanidotus were placed at the top of trees as the sister group of the Mesobuthus. Both genera are very similar morphologically. The genetic difference between different genera confirms Sassanidotus validity. Five pairs of living specimens were studied to investigate the biology of the species. Litter size for S. gracilis was 15–19.

Hossein Barahoei. Biology, morphology and molecular study of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Arachnida: Scorpiones), 29 March 2024, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4087398/v1]