Envenomization with Snake Versus Scorpion Venom: Postmortem Repercussions on the Successional Dynamics of Carcass-Attracted Flies in a Forensic Context

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  Envenomization with Snake Versus Scorpion Venom: Postmortem Repercussions on the Successional Dynamics of Carcass-Attracted Flies in a Forensic Context Abstract Background: Animal venoms may alter postmortem carcass conditions and thereby influence carrion-associated insects. However, it remains unclear whether lethal envenomization affects adult Diptera as a broad assemblage-level response or as taxon-specific changes during decomposition. Methods: Fifteen rabbits were assigned to control, snake-envenomized, or scorpion-envenomized treatments (with five carcasses each). Carcasses were exposed under semi-natural conditions, until complete dryness, over 11 days postmortem. Adult flies were collected daily for analyzing abundance at total, family, and selected species levels, using negative GLMM, with carcass identity as a random effect and postmortem day as a nonlinear predictor. Results: A total of 5497 adult flies representing 13 species in seven families was recorded. Total fly...

Proteome Analysis of the Six-Eyed Sand-Spider Sicarius thomisoides Venom

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Proteome Analysis of the Six-Eyed Sand-Spider Sicarius thomisoides Venom

Abstract

Spiders of the Sicarius genera (Araneae: Sicariidae) are commonly known as six-eyed sand spiders. Of the species described in Latin America, the species S. thomisoides has previously been shown to possess venom with a toxic potential comparable to that observed in the venom of the spider L. laeta. Although identifying the phospholipase D activity in the venom of S. thomisoides, it is still unknown what other components are part of the venom. In this study, we described the identification of the main protein components of S. thomisoides venom, revealing that the phospholipase D family were the majority toxins, followed by Astacin-like metalloproteinases and serine proteases. Additionally, the presence of CRISP-type allergens and peptides from the U-PHTX-Pmx family was identified for the first time in venoms from Sicarius genera. Identifying the components of the Sicarius spider venom is an essential step to understanding its toxicological potential.

Arán-Sekul, Tomás, Juan San Francisco, José Rojas, Kyung-Mee Moon, Leonard Foster, and Alejandro Catalán. 2025. "Proteome Analysis of the Six-Eyed Sand-Spider Sicarius thomisoides Venom" Toxins 17, no. 10: 486. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins17100486