The Role of the Southeastern European Mountains as Cradles and Corridors of European Biodiversity: Insights From Agelenid Spiders

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  The Role of the Southeastern European Mountains as Cradles and Corridors of European Biodiversity: Insights From Agelenid Spiders ABSTRACT Aim The Southeastern European Mountain System (SEEMS) is a well-known glacial refugium for European fauna. Bridging the Mediterranean and Caucasus biodiversity hotspots, it is a melting point for diverse faunal elements, but also a center of origin and subsequent dispersal of a unique component of European biodiversity. Here, we tested the hypothesis of the Southeastern European origin of the agelenid spider genera Inermocoelotes and Urocoras by investigating their phylogeny and biogeography. Location Southeastern Europe (the Balkans, Carpathians, Dinarides), Central/Western Europe, and the Mediterranean basin. Taxon Funnel-web spiders, the genera Inermocoelotes and Urocoras (Araneae: Agelenidae: Coelotinae). Methods We performed molecular phylogenetic analyses, divergence time estimation, and ancestral area reconstruction. To investigate ...

Lipidomics of Bothrops atrox and Crotalus durissus ruruima venoms, the two major viperids involved in human envenomings in the Brazilian Amazon

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Lipidomics of Bothrops atrox and Crotalus durissus ruruima venoms, the two major viperids involved in human envenomings in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Recent investigations into the lipid constituents of snake venoms have yielded intriguing findings. Bothrops atrox and Crotalus durissus ruruima are the primary species responsible for snakebite envenomation in the Brazilian Amazon. However, the lipid compounds present in their venoms remain unknown. To address this gap, a lipidomic approach based on LC–HRMS (Liquid Chromatography–High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry) was employed to profile the lipid classes, subclasses, and species in the venoms of B. atrox and C. d. ruruima (yellow and white variations). The venom of B. atrox and the yellow variant of C. d. ruruima showed comparable profiles, with higher proportions of glycerolipids (55% and 46%, respectively) and glycerophospholipids (31% and 37%, respectively). In contrast, the white venom of C. d. ruruima showed a higher sphingolipid content (51%). Lipidomic analysis revealed multi-lipid species, with a high abundance of lipids from the subclasses sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, monoalkylglycerol, and triacylglycerol, as well as monoacylglycerol, cardiolipins, glycerophosphoinositol, N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine, and cholesteryl esters. The lipids annotated are known to play diverse biological roles, particularly in cellular structure and signaling. This study is the first to characterize the lipid components in the venom of these snake species, contributing to a deeper understanding of their chemical composition and opening new avenues for investigating the roles of these compounds in snake venom.

Maciel, J.B., Nardini, V., Carvalho, N.S. et al. Lipidomics of Bothrops atrox and Crotalus durissus ruruima venoms, the two major viperids involved in human envenomings in the Brazilian Amazon. Arch Toxicol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-025-04200-2