Structural and functional characterisation of isolated puff adder (Bitis arietans) venom serine proteases

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  Structural and functional characterisation of isolated puff adder (Bitis arietans) venom serine proteases Abstract Serine proteases (SVSPs) are known to play a major role in the haemotoxic actions of viper venom, but compared with those from other medically important vipers, the serine proteases of puff adder venoms have not been extensively characterised. To address this, we isolated, identified and characterised the bioactivity of the serine proteases within the venom of the Nigerian puff adder, which we had previously shown to be especially rich in this class of toxin. Two distinct groups were identified, each with different protein substrate specificities. Both had similar molecular weights of 52-62 kDa, with 4-6 N-glycans, but one group consisted of trypsin-like acidic SVSPs and the other of non-trypsin-like basic SVSPs with a specificity for aliphatic amino acids at the P 1 position. Each acted differently on fibrinogen: the acidic SVSPs showed thrombin-like alpha/beta-fib...

Six new species of the genera Falcileptoneta and Longileptoneta (Araneae: Leptonetidae) from Korea

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Six new species of the genera Falcileptoneta and Longileptoneta (Araneae: Leptonetidae) from Korea

Abstract

Six new leptonetid species belonging to Falcileptoneta Komatsu, 1970 and Longileptoneta Seo, 2015 are described from Korea: F. caela spec. nov., F. falcata spec. nov., F. fuscina spec. nov., F. labiata spec. nov., L. ancora spec. nov., and L. woojeok spec. nov. The newly described species were sampled from leaf litter (F. falcata, F. labiata, L. ancora), and subterranean habitats (F. caela, F. fuscina, L. woojeok). Based on both male and female (except F. caela and L. ancora), diagnostic characteristics, microscopic images of adult specimens and reproductive structures, and distribution records are provided. Additionally, notes on its biological history are provided.

Oh, J.-H. & Lee, S. (2026) Six new species of the genera Falcileptoneta and Longileptoneta (Araneae: Leptonetidae) from Korea. Zootaxa, 5874 (6), 567–584. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5874.6.4