From Scorpion Venom to Infection Research: The Promise of Opis16a (Blog Entry)

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  Opistophthalmus carinatus , a southern African scorpion whose venom contains opistoporin 1, the parent peptide from which researchers derived the shorter antimicrobial peptide Opis16a. Credit: Dan Lee / CC0 1.0 From Scorpion Venom to Infection Research: The Promise of Opis16a A synthetic peptide inspired by a southern African scorpion’s venom shows activity against drug-resistant bacteria—but its potential as a wound treatment remains under investigation. Scorpion venom is a complex mixture of biologically active molecules. While many are studied for their effects on ion channels and the nervous system, others offer a different research opportunity: understanding how peptides can damage bacterial cells. One such candidate is Opis16a , a synthetic, 16-amino-acid fragment derived from opistoporin 1, a peptide originally isolated from the venom of Opistophthalmus carinatus . Research highlighted by Nature Africa suggests that this shortened molecule combines broad antibacterial acti...

First fossil of the pseudoscorpion family Chernetidae Menge, 1855 (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

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First fossil of the pseudoscorpion family Chernetidae Menge, 1855 (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

Abstract

Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) are amongst the oldest terrestrial lineages but their fossil record is still very sparse. In recent years, Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber has emerged as an important source for fossil pseudoscorpions. In this study, we extend the fossil record of the family Chernetidae Menge, 1855 – one of the most diverse pseudoscorpion families – by at least 20 million years through the description of a new genus and species, †Burmachernes gen. nov. for the new species †Burmachernes cenomanium sp. nov. from this amber deposit. Although †Burmachernes exhibits the principle synapomorphy of Chernetidae, namely venom glands in the movable chelal finger, it is distinguished from all 121 extant genera as well as the Eocene fossil genus †Oligochernes Beier, 1937 by a unique combination of characters, including trichobothrial arrangement, chaetotaxy, and cheliceral morphology. This fossil represents a significant discovery that fills an important gap in the evolutionary history of Chernetidae, extends the temporal range of the family further back into the Mesozoic, and demonstrates that chernetid pseudoscorpions had already evolved morphological features closely resembling those of their extant relatives.

Willmott LA, Kotthoff U, Harms D (2026) First fossil of the pseudoscorpion family Chernetidae Menge, 1855 (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Evolutionary Systematics 10(1): 101-111. https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.10.190572