Qualitative and Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Venoms from Mexican Rattlesnakes

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  Qualitative and Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Venoms from Mexican Rattlesnakes Abstract Despite the vast biodiversity of Mexican vipers, venom of endemic species has been barely studied. Here we analyzed the venom composition of three endemic species of rattlesnakes: Crotalus aquilus , C. triseriatus , and C. ravus . We used quantitative chromato-mass-spectrometry and compared venoms with C. molossus , a species commonly found in North America, in a comparative and phylogenetic framework. In total, we identified 165 proteins grouped in 19 main protein families, consistent with previous reports for viperid venoms. In C. aquilus and C. triseriatus , the most predominant protein-family type was Serine Proteases, and in C. triseriatus and C. molossus it was Snake Venom Metalloproteases. The Label-free quantification revealed a high proportion of Snake Venom Metalloproteases in C. aquilus , C. triseriatus , and C. molossus , reaching 28–47% of the total venom. In contrast, in ...

Systematics of cybaeid spiders endemic to the Japanese Archipelago, and their historical biogeographic implications (Araneae: Cybaeidae)

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Systematics of cybaeid spiders endemic to the Japanese Archipelago, and their historical biogeographic implications (Araneae: Cybaeidae)

Abstract

The epigean and subterranean spiders of the genus Cybaeus L. Koch, 1868 are distributed in the Holarctic, and are highly diversified in western North America and Japan. More than 100 species have been described from the Japanese Archipelago and several species assemblages have also been recognised among the Japanese Cybaeus based on their morphological similarities. However, their phylogenetic backbone remains unclear. Moreover, genus-level classification of several of the Japanese species appear to be questionable. In this study we performed extensive molecular analyses of the family Cybaeidae in East Asia, mainly the Japanese Archipelago, to clarify their fundamental phylogenetic relationships. We also conducted a divergence time estimation to provide insights into their historical biogeography and evolutionary history. Our divergence dating results indicate that the diversification of the major lineages of the East Asian cybaeid spiders might be related to the opening of the Sea of Japan c. 20 million years ago. On the basis of the morphological evaluation and obtained phylogenies, some East Asian species formerly placed in Cybaeus are transferred to the cybaeid genera Allocybaeina Bennett, 2020, Sincybaeus Wang & Zhang, 2022 and Cybaeina Chamberlin & Ivie, 1932, i.e. Allocybaeina petegarina (Yaginuma, 1972), comb. nov., Sincybaeus monticola (Kobayashi, 2006), comb. nov., Sincybaeus rarispinosus (Yaginuma, 1970), comb. nov., Sincybaeus yoshiakii (Yaginuma, 1968), comb. nov., and Cybaeina whanseunensis (Paik & Namkung, 1967), comb. nov. Our results clarify the genus-level richness of cybaeids in the Japanese Archipelago for the first time, and reveal the fine-scale phylogenetic relationships of Cybaeus species endemic to the Japanese Archipelago and adjacent regions.

Sugawara Yusuke, Ihara Yoh, Koike Naoki, Seo Hong-Yul, Prozorova Larisa A., Zhang Zhi-Sheng, Nakano Takafumi (2024) Systematics of cybaeid spiders endemic to the Japanese Archipelago, and their historical biogeographic implications (Araneae: Cybaeidae). Invertebrate Systematics 38, IS24058.

https://doi.org/10.1071/IS24058