Targeting snake venom metalloproteinases: structural diversity, molecular pathogenesis and therapeutic interventions

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  Targeting snake venom metalloproteinases: structural diversity, molecular pathogenesis and therapeutic interventions Abstract Snake venom Metalloproteinases (SVMPs) are Zn²⁺-dependent endopeptidases categorised under metzincin superfamily and are predominantly found in venom of the “ Viperidae ” family snakes. They are key mediators of venom-induced pathology with associated tissue damage including haemorrhage and oedema. SVMPs are classified as P-I, P-II, and P-III depending on the domains, each differing in structural complexity and organization. Further, the conserved HEXXHXXGXXH catalytic motif organizes a Zn 2+ ion, essential for the breakdown of peptide bonds and proteins. Given the limitations of conventional antivenom therapy, increasing attention has been directed toward targeted approaches for SVMPs neutralization, including plant-derived phytocompounds, synthetic and repurposed small-molecule inhibitors, recombinant monoclonal antibodies, and camelid-derived nanobodi...

Size matters: a new genus of tarantula with the longest male palps, and an integrative revision of Monocentropus Pocock, 1897 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Eumenophorinae)

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Size matters: a new genus of tarantula with the longest male palps, and an integrative revision of Monocentropus Pocock, 1897 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Eumenophorinae)

Abstract

A taxonomic revision of the eumenophorine tarantula genus Monocentropus Pocock, 1897, which currently comprises three species, M. balfouri Pocock, 1897 (♂♀; Socotra, Yemen), M. lambertoni Fage, 1922 (♂♀; Madagascar), and M. longimanus Pocock, 1903 (♂♀; Yemen), is presented. By integrating both morphological data and a molecular phylogeny based on mitochondrial (cox1) and nuclear (28S, 18S) markers, the genus is herein redefined to include only the type species, M. balfouri. A new genus, Satyrex Zamani & von Wirth, gen. nov., is established to comprise S. longimanus comb. nov., along with four new species from the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa described herein: S. arabicus Zamani & von Wirth, sp. nov. (♂; Saudi Arabia), S. ferox Zamani, von Wirth & Stockmann, sp. nov. (♂♀; Yemen, Oman), S. somalicus Zamani & von Wirth, sp. nov. (♂; Somaliland), and S. speciosus Zamani, von Wirth & Just, sp. nov. (♂♀; Somaliland). The new genus is partially characterised by possessing the longest male palps known in tarantulas, possibly functioning in cannibalism avoidance during mating. Both the molecular phylogeny and morphological characters suggest that M. lambertoni is probably not congeneric with M. balfouri, and also indicate that multiple species may be currently subsumed under the former name. Therefore, M. lambertoni is regarded as incerta sedis pending further studies to clarify its taxonomic placement, as it is also considered to represent a species complex. Finally, the distribution of all studied taxa is discussed within a biogeographic framework.


Zamani A, von Wirth V, Fabiánek P, Höfling J, Just P, Korba J, Petzold A, Stockmann M, Elmi HSA, Vences M, Opatova V (2025) Size matters: a new genus of tarantula with the longest male palps, and an integrative revision of Monocentropus Pocock, 1897 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Eumenophorinae). ZooKeys 1247: 89-126. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1247.162886