Indian lone commercial antivenom against Indian red scorpion venom demonstrates limited immunorecognition and partial neutralisation of enzymatic, pharmacological, and some toxic effects of Heterometrus bengalensis (Indian black scorpion) venom proteins in vitro and in vivo

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  Indian lone commercial antivenom against Indian red scorpion venom demonstrates limited immunorecognition and partial neutralisation of enzymatic, pharmacological, and some toxic effects of Heterometrus bengalensis (Indian black scorpion) venom proteins in vitro and in vivo Abstract Scorpion envenomation remains a significant yet under-addressed public health issue in India.  Heterometrus bengalensis  (HB), a medically important scorpion, can induce clinically relevant local and systemic toxicity. However, limited research has evaluated the immunological recognition and neutralisation efficacy of existing commercial anti-scorpion antivenoms (ASV) against HB venom (HBV). This study evaluated the immunological cross-reactivity and neutralisation potential of a commercial ASV against HBV using  in vitro  and  in vivo  approaches. Immunochemical assays (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting) demonstrated partial immunoreactivity toward H...

Expanding the horizon: Discovery of two new spider species of the Pholcus phungiformes species group (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Inner Mongolia, China, with a new western record for the group

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Expanding the horizon: Discovery of two new spider species of the Pholcus phungiformes species group (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Inner Mongolia, China, with a new western record for the group

Abstract

The spiders of the Pholcus phungiformes species group are primarily distributed across five mountain ranges in East Asia: the Lüliang Mountains and the Yanshan-Taihang Mountains in North China, the transitional uplands between the Yanshan-Taihang and Changbai Mountains, the Changbai Mountains straddling the China-North Korea border, and the Taebaek-Sobaek Mountains on the Korean Peninsula. In this study, we report the first records of this group from Inner Mongolia, northern China, describing two new species: Pholcus alashan Wang & Yao, sp. nov. (♂♀, from Alashan Zuoqi) and P. chifeng Yan & Yao, sp. nov. (♂♀, from Chifeng). The discovery of P. alashan sp. nov. extends the group’s western distribution limit by 5.2° longitude (from c. 111.0°E to 105.8°E), representing a significant zoogeographic range expansion.

Yan M, Liu Y, Wang L, Yao Z (2026) Expanding the horizon: Discovery of two new spider species of the Pholcus phungiformes species group (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Inner Mongolia, China, with a new western record for the group. ZooKeys 1275: 333-343. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1275.186998