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 ...

A new species of Asceua Thorell, 1887 (Araneae, Zodariidae) from the Western Ghats of India

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A new species of Asceua Thorell, 1887 (Araneae, Zodariidae) from the Western Ghats of India

The genus Asceua Thorell, 1887 represents small to medium sized, ant-eating spiders distributed in Africa, Australia, and East and Southeast Asia (Jocqué 1991; World Spider Catalog 2024). At present, two Asceua species are known from India: Asceua cingulata (Simon, 1905) (male, female), and A. thrippalurensis Sankaran, 2023 (male, female) (Caleb & Sankaran 2024; World Spider Catalog 2024). While examining some recent spider collections from the southern Western Ghats of Kerala, India, we recognized a new Asceua species, which is described and illustrated here as Asceua tertia sp. nov.

Asima, A., Sankaran, P. M. & Prasad, G. (2024). A new species of Asceua Thorell, 1887 (Araneae, Zodariidae) from the Western Ghats of India. Zootaxa 5492(4): 596-599. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5492.4.8