Big Spider, Big Genome: Chromosome-level genome of a North American tarantula (Aphonopelma marxi) and comparative genomics across 300 million years of spider evolution

Posted by
  Image Credit: WikiCommons Big Spider, Big Genome: Chromosome-level genome of a North American tarantula (Aphonopelma marxi) and comparative genomics across 300 million years of spider evolution Abstract The comparison of chromosome-level genomes allows biologists to investigate new axes of organismal evolution. Spiders comprise a significant proportion of known arachnid diversity, with many complex morphologies and unique natural histories, yet comparative genomics in spiders has been limited due to the number of available genomes. We present a de novo chromosomal reference genome of a mature male tarantula, Aphonopelma marxi, and comparatively examine spider genome evolution across the Order Araneae. Using PacBio HiFi and Hi-C sequencing, the final 6.5 Gb assembly consists of 17 autosomes, 1 X chromosome, and 127 unplaced scaffolds, with an N50 of 370 Mb and Arachnida (odb10; 2934 genes) BUSCO of 96.7%. By comparing 20 additional spider genomes from 15 families, we find mygalomo...

Snakebites by Bothrops taeniatus: characteristics of snakebites involving a rare venomous snake in Brazil

Posted by

 

By TimVickers - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5401480


Snakebites by Bothrops taeniatus: characteristics of snakebites involving a rare venomous snake in Brazil

ABSTRACT


Snakebites from the genus Bothrops account for up to 90% of venomous snakebites in Brazil. Among these species, Bothrops taeniatus is considered rare in Brazil, with only one reported case in the literature. Its venom has a strong hemorrhagic effect but lacks procoagulant activity, which can lead to significant variations in the neutralizing efficacy of anti-Bothrops serum. We describe the first case of severe envenomation by B. taeniatus with rapid recovery following the administration of anti-Bothrops serum in Brazil, and discuss the characteristics of B. taeniatus envenomation based on a literature review.

Fujii PCYS, Soares BS, Dias ES, Borges HL, Siqueira DED, Ceschim RC. Snakebites by Bothrops taeniatus: characteristics of snakebites involving a rare venomous snake in Brazil. einstein (Sao Paulo). 2025;23:eRC1430. https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2025RC1430