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 ...

First record and new species of the hitherto American endemic genus Hibana Brescovit, 1991 from Ascension Island (Araneae: Anyphaenidae)

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First record and new species of the hitherto American endemic genus Hibana Brescovit, 1991 from Ascension Island (Araneae: Anyphaenidae)

Abstract
A new species of the genus Hibana Brescovit, 1991, previously known only from the Americas, is described from Ascension Island, based on both sexes: Hibana ascensionensis sp. nov. complemented with colour photographs of specimen habitus, male chelicera, and the copulatory organs of both sexes. Hitherto , the family Anyphaenidae Bertkau, 1878 had not been recorded from Ascension Island, nor any other mid-Atlantic island. The new species is related to, but distinct from, H. tenuis (L. Koch, 1866) and H. talmina Brescovit, 1991. The unusual indentation of male chelicerae in Hibana is documented and figured in detail for the first time. 

SHERWOOD, D., MARUSIK, Yu.M., SHARP, A. & WILKINS, V. (2024) First record and new species of the hitherto American endemic genus Hibana Brescovit, 1991 from Ascension Island (Araneae: Anyphaenidae) Arachnology 19(8): 1139–1142