Acute gonadal toxicity induced by Bothrops atrox venom in mice

Posted by
  Acute gonadal toxicity induced by Bothrops atrox venom in mice Abstract Bothrops atrox is responsible for most snakebite incidents in the Amazon region. Its venom is recognized for causing significant tissue damage and systemic effects. However, its effect on reproductive organs remains poorly explored. This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of B. atrox venom on testes and ovaries of adult mice. Male and female mice were exposed to B. atrox venom (½ LD 50 ) via four administration routes subcutaneous (SC), intramuscular (IM), intravenous (IV), and intraperitoneal (IP), followed by comprehensive assessment of gonadal histology, sperm function, oxidative stress biomarkers, antioxidant enzyme activities, and mRNA expression of inflammatory and apoptotic markers. Following B. atrox venom exposure, ovarian histological architecture remained preserved across all routes, whereas testicular tissue exhibited route-dependent injury ranging from moderate luminal apoptosis aft...

Photoreceptor physiology of two species of crab spiders (Araneae: Thomisidae)

Posted by

 


Photoreceptor physiology of two species of crab spiders (Araneae: Thomisidae)

Abstract

Spiders are a diverse order of predatory arachnids with more than 53.000 described species, most of which have eight eyes. Many webless hunting spiders, most noticeably the jumping spiders (Salticidae) have been shown to have excellent eyes with high spatial resolution and colour vision. The family of crab spiders (Thomisidae) is also hypothesized to be visual hunters, employing a “sit and wait” or ambush hunting technique; however, little is currently known about their visual capacity. Here we use extracellular electrophysiology to examine the photoreceptor physiology of two crab spiders living in two different ecological niches. Ozyptila praticola (C.L. Koch, 1837) hunts on the ground in dim habitats whereas Xysticus cristatus (Clerck, 1757) hunts in the typical bright open grasslands. We test the hypotheses that (1) each species has special-purpose eyes, (2) that males and females have different photoreceptor physiology based on observed differences in behavior, and (3) the niche difference of the two species is reflected in different visual properties. We found support for the first hypothesis and also some support for differences between the two species, mostly in the temporal resolution of the eyes. We found no evidence of differences between males and females, indicating that the two sexes exhibit more shared visually guided behaviors than previously thought.

Fischer, F.L., Scharff, N. & Garm, A. Photoreceptor physiology of two species of crab spiders (Araneae: Thomisidae). J Comp Physiol A (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-026-01802-8