Venom composition of the Iberian adder (Vipera seoanei) from northern Portugal reveals limited sex and size variation

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  Venom composition of the Iberian adder (Vipera seoanei) from northern Portugal reveals limited sex and size variation Abstract Snake venom is a complex and dynamic ecological trait, with high potential for intraspecific variation. In this study, the venom composition of the Iberian adder ( Vipera seoanei ) from the Peneda Mountains of northern Portugal was investigated to explore whether venom varies with body size and sex. Venom proteomes from six individuals representing juvenile, subadult, and adult males and females were characterised using LC–MS/MS, while individual variation was assessed from SDS–PAGE profiles of 18 snakes. LC–MS/MS identified 144 proteins, dominated by phospholipases A 2 (PLA 2 ), snake venom serine proteases (svSP), and C-type lectin-related proteins (CTL). Descriptive comparisons revealed contrasting individual profiles, particularly between the juvenile male, characterised by high svSP and svMP abundance, and the juvenile female, characterised by high ...

The poorly-known amblypygid fauna (Arachnida, Amblypygi) of Honduras, Central America: an overview

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The poorly-known amblypygid fauna (Arachnida, Amblypygi) of Honduras, Central America: an overview

Abstract

A significant study of the amblypygid fauna of Honduras is lacking. Historically, species were misidentified and data on distribution, natural history and conservation status of the known species are lacking or insufficient. In this contribution, an overview on the amblypygids of Honduras, including taxonomy, distribution, natural history and comments on their conservation are provided. In a review of the literature of the Honduran amblypygids, we examined 21 works, including books, unpublished thesis, articles, the World Amblypygi Catalogue (2023), as well as the website Arácnidos de Centroamérica and the citizen-science websites Alamy, iNaturalist and Flicks. Only the family Phrynidae, with the genera Paraphrynus Moreno, 1940 and Phrynus Lamarck, 1801, is known to occur in Honduras. A total of seven species have been recorded, but only four [Paraphrynus laevifrons (Pocock, 1894), Phrynus palenque Armas, 1996, Ph. similis Armas, Víquez & Trujillo, 2017 and Ph. whitei Gervais, 1842] have been positively identified. No endemic species are known, but available data suggest that some undescribed new species may be restricted to Honduras. In order to understand the amblypygids of Honduras, sampling within the country must be conducted and revisionary studies will be needed. This paper examines our current knowledge of the fauna.

de Armas LF, Cubas-Rodríguez AM (2024) The poorly-known amblypygid fauna (Arachnida, Amblypygi) of Honduras, Central America: an overview. In: Lipińska M, Lopez-Selva MM, Sierra JM (Eds) Biodiversity research in Central America. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 19(2): 137-148. https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.19.e113507