Venom composition of the Iberian adder (Vipera seoanei) from northern Portugal reveals limited sex and size variation

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  Venom composition of the Iberian adder (Vipera seoanei) from northern Portugal reveals limited sex and size variation Abstract Snake venom is a complex and dynamic ecological trait, with high potential for intraspecific variation. In this study, the venom composition of the Iberian adder ( Vipera seoanei ) from the Peneda Mountains of northern Portugal was investigated to explore whether venom varies with body size and sex. Venom proteomes from six individuals representing juvenile, subadult, and adult males and females were characterised using LC–MS/MS, while individual variation was assessed from SDS–PAGE profiles of 18 snakes. LC–MS/MS identified 144 proteins, dominated by phospholipases A 2 (PLA 2 ), snake venom serine proteases (svSP), and C-type lectin-related proteins (CTL). Descriptive comparisons revealed contrasting individual profiles, particularly between the juvenile male, characterised by high svSP and svMP abundance, and the juvenile female, characterised by high ...

A new contribution to the study of subfamily Tridenchthoniinae Balzan, 1892 (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae) from the late Eocene Baltic amber with the description of Baltochthonius andrushchenkoi gen. et sp. nov. and Heterolophus eridanus sp. nov.

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A new contribution to the study of subfamily Tridenchthoniinae Balzan, 1892 (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae) from the late Eocene Baltic amber with the description of Baltochthonius andrushchenkoi gen. et sp. nov. and Heterolophus eridanus sp. nov.

Abstract

Here we describe two new fossil species and one new genus of pseudoscorpions, found in the late Eocene Baltic amber. Baltochthonius andrushchenkoi gen. et sp. nov. and Heterolophus eridanus sp. nov. are assigned to the subfamily Tridenchthoniinae (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae). We present an updated diagnostic key for the tribes, genera and subgenera of Tridenchthoniinae. The biogeographic, paleohabitat and ecological features of new species are presented and compared to the related extinct and extant species of the subfamily Tridenchthoniinae.

Turbanov, I.S., Kolesnikov, V.B., Shadrin, D.S. & Vorontsov, D.D. (2026) A new contribution to the study of subfamily Tridenchthoniinae Balzan, 1892 (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae) from the late Eocene Baltic amber with the description of Baltochthonius andrushchenkoi gen. et sp. nov. and Heterolophus eridanus sp. nov. Zootaxa, 5807 (1), 125–149. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5807.1.5