The chromosome-level genome of Mesobuthus martensii provides insights into its evolution and the diversity of venom peptides

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  The chromosome-level genome of Mesobuthus martensii provides insights into its evolution and the diversity of venom peptides Abstract Mesobuthus martensii , the source species of the traditional Chinese medicine “Quanxie”, has long been utilized for its therapeutic properties. Venom peptides are recognized as the major active molecular basis of these pharmacological activities. Despite this, their development as therapeutic agents remains poorly explored. In this study, we performed an integrated multi-omics investigation to systematically explore the venom peptides of Mesobuthus martensii . We generated a chromosome-level genome assembly of Mesobuthus martensii using third-generation sequencing technologies, yielding a genome size of 1.08 Gb with a contig N50 of 46.46 Mb. Integrated genomic and transcriptomic analyses led to the identification of 51 putative novel venom peptide candidates. From the broader venom peptide set, five lysine- and arginine-rich candidates were select...

New taxonomic and faunistic data on Moroccan spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including the description of five new species

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New taxonomic and faunistic data on Moroccan spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including the description of five new species

Abstract

As a result of an examination of a small, recent collection, new faunistic and taxonomic data on the spiders of Morocco are provided. A total of 20 species from 12 families were identified, including five species newly described herein: Gorbiscape amazighus sp. nov. (♂♀; Marrakech–Safi Region) [Agelenidae], Liocranum atlasicum sp. nov. (♂♀; Marrakech–Safi Region) [Liocranidae], Zelotes maroccanus sp. nov. (♀; Tanger–Tétouan–Al Houceima Region), Z. reuteri sp. nov. (♂; Marrakech–Safi Region) [Gnaphosidae], and Zodarion neblibohakrostorum sp. nov. (♂; Tanger–Tétouan–Al Houceima Region) [Zodariidae]. Ballus chalybeius (Walckenaer, 1802) [Salticidae] and the genus Liocranum L. Koch, 1866 are newly recorded from Morocco, while Psilochorus simoni (Berland, 1911) [Pholcidae] is recorded in Africa for the first time. Additionally, photographic illustrations and SEM images are provided for Lycosoides murphyorum Bosmans, 2022 [Agelenidae] and Rhode scutiventris Simon, 1882 [Dysderidae]. Finally, four species are transferred from Agelena Walckenaer, 1805 [Agelenidae] to Gorbiscape Zamani & Marusik, 2020: G. canariensis (Lucas, 1838) comb. nov. from the Canary Islands and Northwest Africa, and G. gomerensis (Wunderlich, 1992) comb. nov., G. gonzalezi (Schmidt, 1980) comb. nov. and G. tenerifensis (Wunderlich, 1992) comb. nov. from the Canary Islands.

Zamani, A. & Marusik, Y.M. (2025) New taxonomic and faunistic data on Moroccan spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including the description of five new species. Zootaxa, 5692 (2), 321–337. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5692.2.6