Two new arthropod toxins purified from the venom of the Mexican scorpion Centruroides nigrescens

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  Two new arthropod toxins purified from the venom of the Mexican scorpion Centruroides nigrescens Abstract The venom of the slender black scorpion Centruroides nigrescens , from the State of Guerrero México, was fractionated by Sephadex G–50 gel filtration, followed by carboxymethyl cellulose ion separation and high–performance liquid chromatography, permitting to obtain two new peptides toxic to arthropods. The estimate LD 50 of the soluble venom for the insect Acheta domesticus was 11.1 μg/g body weight, and for the arthropod Armadillidium vulgare was 61.1 μg body weight . The amino acid sequence of toxin Cnige1 (toxic to A. domesticus and A. vulgare ) contains 65 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 7273.37 mass units, whereas toxin Cnige2, toxic to A. domesticus , contains 68 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 7548.81 units. Both peptides are well packed, containing 8 cysteines, which in the native venoms are forming 4 disulfide bridges each. The amino acid sequences f...

New data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Armenia, including a unique case of palpal teratology

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New data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Armenia, including a unique case of palpal teratology

Abstract

New taxonomic and faunistic data on spiders (Araneae) of Armenia and the Caucasus are presented. One new species, Titanoeca urartica sp. nov. (♂; Titanoecidae), and the previously unknown female of Dipoenoides emiliae (Lecigne, 2023) (Theridiidae) are described, and 21 genera (Araneidae: Leviellus Dahl, 1901; Siwa Grasshoff, 1970; Gnaphosidae: Phaeocedus Simon, 1893; Sosticus Chamberlin, 1922; Linyphiidae: Asthenargus Simon & Fage, 1922; Dismodicus Simon, 1884; Gonatium Menge, 1868; Pocadicnemis Simon, 1884; Sauron Eskov, 1995; Savignia Blackwall, 1833; Stemonyphantes Menge, 1866; Trichoncus Simon, 1884; Lycosidae: Evippa Simon, 1882; Piratula Roewer, 1960; Salticidae: Leptorchestes Thorell, 1870; Sibianor Logunov, 2001; Tetragnathidae: Pachygnatha Sundevall, 1823; Theridiidae: Crustulina Menge, 1868; Dipoenoides Archer, 1941; Lasaeola Simon, 1881; Titanoecidae: Titanoeca Thorell, 1870) and 39 species are recorded from Armenia for the first time. Six species (D. emiliae; D. schwendingeri (Zamani & Marusik, 2021); Evarcha insularis (Metzner, 1999) [Salticidae]; Evippa luteipalpis Roewer, 1955; Spermophora senoculatoides Senglet, 2008 [Pholcidae]; and Steatoda trianguloides Levy, 1991 [Theridiidae]) are recorded from the Caucasus for the first time, with S. senoculatoides also newly recorded from Azerbaijan. Additionally, a unique case of male palpal teratology is reported and illustrated in an unidentified species of Pardosa C.L. Koch, 1847 (Lycosidae). Considering the results of the present study, the spider fauna of Armenia now comprises 366 species in 189 genera and 38 families.

Zamani,A , Kosyan,A and Marusik,Y . (2026). New data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Armenia, including a unique case of palpal teratology. Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics, (), 725-744. doi: 10.48311/jibs.12.04.725