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 complete mitochondrial genome of Heptathela kimurai (Araneae: Heptathelidae)

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 The complete mitochondrial genome of Heptathela kimurai (Araneae: Heptathelidae)

Abstract

Heptathela kimurai (Kishida, 1920) is a spider that belongs to the family Heptathelidae which is a basial lineage of spiders. The molecular information of ancestral species belonging to families like Heptathelidae is comparatively limited when compared to spider species from derived families. Here we present the complete mitochondrial genome sequence (mtDNA) of H. kimurai. The sequence was obtained using massively parallel sequencing technology. The circular genome was 14,224 bp in length, and the AT content was 69.53%. The H. kimurai mitochondrial genome contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 21 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes. The majority of PCGs were found in the heavy strand.

Ishiwata, C., Yamamoto, P. K., Nakamura, H., Tanikawa, A., & Kono, N. (2024). The complete mitochondrial genome of Heptathela kimurai (Araneae: Heptathelidae). Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 9(8), 1020–1023. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2024.2387261