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 ...

Arachnological biosecurity on one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands: a checklist of stowaway spiders found on Saint Helena, South Atlantic Ocean

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Arachnological biosecurity on one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands: a checklist of stowaway spiders found on Saint Helena, South Atlantic Ocean

Abstract
An annotated checklist of non-native spiders intercepted by biosecurity staff of the Agriculture & Natural Resources Division (ANRD) of the Saint Helena Government is presented, along with a complete list of all other known stowaway specimens examined by us in other collections. As a consequence, Araneus quadratus Clerck, 1757 and Neoscona rapta (Thorell, 1899) and four generic-level taxa are newly recorded for the list of Saint Helenian spiders. Five morphospecies, including one that constituted a new genus record, are newly reported (Clubiona sp., Crossopriza sp., Palystes sp., Physocyclus sp., and Zenodorus sp.). Palystes sp. also represents the first record of the family Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872 for Saint Helena. One further record of a previously known species, Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875), is made from a specimen recently intercepted in an inbound parcel in 2024. Finally, a list of additional immature specimens, unidentifiable below the family level but nonetheless examined for this work, are presented to complete the catalogue of specimens in the ANRD collections. The total number of spider families recognised on the island raises to 33 and valid genera and species (i.e. excluding undetermined morphospecies) to 92 and 116, respectively.

As always, a special thanks to Danni Sherwood for providing me with this manuscript via ResearchGate

Sherwood, Danniella & Fowler, Liza. (2025). Arachnological biosecurity on one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands: a checklist of stowaway spiders found on Saint Helena, South Atlantic Ocean. Natura Somogyiensis. 45. 57-68. 10.24394/NatSom.2025.45.57.