Inter-individual variability in equine antibody responses to African snake venoms follows heavy-tailed distributions with implications for antivenom production

  Inter-individual variability in equine antibody responses to African snake venoms follows heavy-tailed distributions with implications for antivenom production Abstract Variability in the antibody response of horses used for snake antivenom manufacture is well recognized, yet its statistical structure and implications for industrial productivity remain poorly characterized. In this study, we quantified antivenom antibody titers by ELISA in a cohort of 14 horses immunized with venoms from the clinically most important snakes in sub-Saharan Africa. To integrate antibody levels with plasma availability, we calculated the Cumulative Plasma Productivity (CPP) by converting individual plasma volumes into titer-corrected equivalents and sequentially pooling these volumes according to their corrected contribution. Distributional analysis revealed right-skewed, heavy-tailed patterns better approximated by a log-normal model than by a strict Pareto (power-law) form, with approximately 20–3...

Systematics of the Aliatypus erebus Group (Mygalomorphae, F. Antrodiaetidae): Exploring a Possible Ring of Species Around the California Central Valley (Full Text Dissertation or Thesis)

 


Systematics of the Aliatypus erebus Group (Mygalomorphae, F. Antrodiaetidae): Exploring a Possible Ring of Species Around the California Central Valley (Full Text Dissertation or Thesis)

The Aliatypus erebus group represents a monophyletic radiation of trapdoor spiders with a ring-like distribution around California's Central Valley, shaped by long-term geological events and exhibiting substantial cryptic diversity and geographic structuring.

Additional topics discussed include:
  • Phylogenomic methods using ultra conserved elements (UCE)
  • Impact of tectonic activity and fault systems on species diversification
  • Cryptic speciation and species delimitation in low-dispersal arthropods


Hays, T. G. (2026). Systematics of the aliatypus erebus group (mygalomorphae, F. antrodiaetidae): Exploring a possible ring of species around the california central valley (Order No. 32582807). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (3330504647). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/systematics-em-aliatypus-erebus-group/docview/3330504647/se-2