Spider venom peptides Ht1a and Gg1a are toxic to honeybee parasite Varroa destructor by topical application

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  Spider venom peptides Ht1a and Gg1a are toxic to honeybee parasite Varroa destructor by topical application Abstract Global food supply strongly depends on honeybee pollination services, which are threatened by insecticides and pests such as parasitic Varroa destructor mites. Chemical varroacides/acaricides are hampered by resistance development, necessitating the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives, with arthropod venom peptides being considered promising sources of acaricidal toxins. With only a few acaricidal venom peptides being reported, we performed a systematic topical screening of 50 arthropod venoms against V. destructor , with 78% of the venoms causing 100% mortality after 24 h. Deconvolution of the venoms from the Tasmanian cave spider Hickmania troglodytes and the Giant Japanese funnel-web spider Gigathele gigas led to identification of the varroacidal peptides Ht1a and Gg1a. Topical application of Ht1a and Gg1a reduced varroa mite ...

New considerations about the outstanding variability of the genus Chaerilobuthus Lourenço & Beigel, 2011 (Scorpiones: Chaerilobuthidae) and the description of one more new species from Early Cretaceous Burmite

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New considerations about the outstanding variability of the genus Chaerilobuthus Lourenço & Beigel, 2011 (Scorpiones: Chaerilobuthidae) and the description of one more new species from Early Cretaceous Burmite

Abstract

One more new species of fossil scorpion belonging to the genus Chaerilobuthus Lourenço & Beigel, 2011 is described from Early Cretaceous Burmite. Chaerilobuthus muelleri Lourenço sp. n., represents the 15th species to be described for this genus confirming therefore the strong speciose characteristic of this group. The new species shows several clear morphological differences when compared to the previous known species, attesting the existence of a major variability within Chaerilobuthus. A list of the known species is presented, as well a number of comments on the variability of different morphological characters.

Wilson R. Lourenço, Jürgen Velten. New considerations about the outstanding variability of the genus Chaerilobuthus Lourenço & Beigel, 2011 (Scorpiones: Chaerilobuthidae) and the description of one more new species from Early Cretaceous Burmite. Faunitaxys, 2026, 14 (11), pp.1-6. ⟨10.57800/faunitaxys-14(11)⟩. ⟨hal-05528828⟩