Transcriptomic Insights Into the Evolution of Snake Venom: Mechanisms, Diversity, and Adaptation

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  Transcriptomic Insights Into the Evolution of Snake Venom: Mechanisms, Diversity, and Adaptation Abstract Snake venoms are evolutionarily refined biochemical arsenals composed of diverse toxins with complex functional roles in predation, defense, and competition. Over the past 2 decades, transcriptomic approaches have transformed venom research by enabling high-resolution insights into gene expression dynamics, molecular diversity, and the evolutionary mechanisms driving venom variation across lineages. In this review, we present a comprehensive synthesis of snake venom transcriptomics literature and propose a conceptual framework structured around three major axes: (1) gene family expansion through duplication and neofunctionalization; (2) regulatory complexity encompassing transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and epigenetic modulation; and (3) ecological selection pressures shaping venom profiles in response to diet, habitat, and interspecific interactions. We integrate findin...

A new species of the Hispaniolan endemic genus Antillena Bertani, Huff and Fukushima, 2017 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae), with notes on the natural history of the genus

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A new species of the Hispaniolan endemic genus Antillena Bertani, Huff and Fukushima, 2017 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae), with notes on the natural history of the genus

Abstract

Theraphosidae is the most speciose mygalomorph family, and its species are usually fossorial, but arboreal species are known in various subfamilies. One of these subfamilies, Aviculariinae, is composed exclusively of arboreal forms and is distributed in the Americas and the Caribbean. Seven genera of this subfamily were described in 2017, including the monotypic genus Antillena Bertani, Huff & Fukushima, 2017, which is endemic to the Dominican Republic. It presents some remarkable features concerning genitalia shape both in male and female, distinct from all other aviculariine species. Herein, we describe the second species of Antillena, A. miguelangeli sp. nov., along with field-note observations and new records for Antillena rickwesti Bertani & Huff, 2013. Males of the new species have a longer and slender embolus on the bulb, and the keels are poorly developed. Females have the spermathecae plateau-shaped with its distal sclerotized half of an elliptical appearance. The new species also represents the first record of this genus from the northern region of Hispaniola.

Santos, G. de los & Bertani, R. (2024). A new species of the Hispaniolan endemic genus Antillena Bertani, Huff and Fukushima, 2017 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae), with notes on the natural history of the genus. Zootaxa 5493(4): 419-430. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5493.4.7