Whole-Genome sequencing of the schizomid arachnid Rowlandius potiguar Santos, Ferreira and Buzzato, 2013 from the caves of the Brazilian semiarid

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  Image Credit: CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40194191 Whole-Genome sequencing of the schizomid arachnid Rowlandius potiguar Santos, Ferreira and Buzzato, 2013 from the caves of the Brazilian semiarid Abstract Short-tailed whip scorpions (Arachnida: Schizomida) are a poorly studied group of arachnids, particularly in terms of genomic resources, despite their ecological and evolutionary relevance in subterranean environments. In this study, we present the first draft genome assembly of Rowlandius potiguar, a cave-associated species endemic to karst systems of northeastern Brazil. Genomic DNA was sequenced using Illumina paired-end technology (2 × 150 bp), and reads were assembled using a de novo assembly pipeline. The resulting genome assembly has a total length of 1.8 Gb, distributed across 1,505,104 scaffolds and 1,510,944 contigs, indicating a highly fragmented assembly. The scaffold N50 and contig N50 values were both 3.2 kb, and the GC content was ...

The complete mitochondrial genome of Androctonus mauritanicus (Arachnida: Scorpiones)

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The complete mitochondrial genome of Androctonus mauritanicus (Arachnida: Scorpiones)

Abstract

Androctonus mauritanicus is a significant species in the realm of venomous arthropods. Its native habitat in North Africa has led to its recognition as a large scorpion with highly potent venom, resulting in a critical number of fatalities among humans annually. The specimen used in this study was collected in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2019. To understand its genetic diversity, we sequenced, assembled, and annotated the mitochondrial genome of A. mauritanicus and compared it with those of other scorpions. The assembled mitochondrial genome resulted in 14886 base pairs of circular DNA with 32.37% GC content. Genome annotation predicted 13 protein-coding genes, 21 transfer RNAs (with a notable absence of tRNA-Asp), and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. The nucleotide composition exhibits an AT bias of 67.7%, with heterogeneity across codon positions. Phylogenetic analysis consistently shows A. mauritanicus is closely related to Buthus occitanus and Androctonus australis, with an evolutionary distance of 0.178 to A. australis. Selection pressure analysis using codon-based Z-tests indicates significant purifying selection across most mitochondrial protein-coding genes, with diminishing significance in more distantly related species, while positive selection was not statistically significant. This study improves our knowledge of scorpion biology, ecology and evolution and would further our ability to explore practical applications for medicine and species conservation.
EL GHOUBALI, D., PIRRO, S., IDRISSI AZAMI, A., NEJJARI, C., AL IDRISSI, N., RFAKI, A., ELJAOUDI, R., BELYAMANI, L., AMZAZI, S., HAMDI, S., & GHAZAL, H. (2025). The complete mitochondrial genome of Androctonus mauritanicus (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Ecological Genetics and Genomics, 100429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egg.2025.100429