Scorpion systematics and taxonomy have recently shown a need for revision, partially due to insights from molecular techniques. Scorpion taxonomy has been difficult with morphological characters as disagreement exists among researchers with character choice for adequate species delimitation in taxonomic studies. Within the family Buthidae, species identification and delimitation is particularly difficult due to the morphological similarity among species and extensive intraspecific morphological diversity. The genus Centruroides in the western hemisphere is a prime example of the difficulty in untangling the taxonomic complexity within buthid scorpions. In this paper, we present phylogeographic, Ecological Niche Modeling, and morphometric analyses to further understand how population diversification may have produced morphological diversity in Centruroides vittatus (Say, 1821). We show that C. vittatus populations in the Big Bend and Trans-Pecos region of Texas, USA are phylogeographically distinct and may predate the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). In addition, we suggest the extended isolation of Big Bend region populations may have created the C. vittatus variant once known as C. pantheriensis.
We examined the population structure of sand scorpions (Paruroctonus mesaensis) by performing genetic and morphological analyses. Sand scorpions were expected to show large genetic distances among populations because they are limited to sandy habitats. However, allozyme analysis showed only moderate genetic differentiation among populations. The morphological analysis showed a geographical association among regional sites. A positive association was found among genetic, morphological and geographical distance matrices. However, the morphological distance matrix showed a higher correlation value with geographical distance than with genetic distance. This result suggests that local environmental conditions may affect scorpion morphology more than they affect genetic structure among populations. The sand scorpion population structure can be described as one with gene flow among populations in the middle of the range and increased isolation along the range boundaries. The major mechanism of genetic exchange is probably sand corridors that periodically connect different sand dune systems. As the age of the North American Sonoran Desert may be less than 10000 years, it is also possible that isolation has not existed long enough to differentiate the populations to a greater extent.
The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the Striped scorpion (Centruroides vittatus) was assembled from Illumina-based whole genome sequencing. The circular genome is 14,602 bp in length with 13 protein coding genes, 21 tRNA, two rRNAs, a translocation-inversion of tRNALeu compared to the horse shoe crab mitogenome, and the absence of tRNAAsp. The A + T content of the mitogenome is 68.1%. Our Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analyses placed the C. vittatus mitogenome as a sister group of C. limpidus and nestled within the new world Buthids.
Arthropod
Mycoplasma
are little known endosymbionts in insects, primarily known as plant disease vectors.
Mycoplasma
in other arthropods such as arachnids are unknown. We report the first complete
Mycoplasma
genome sequenced, identified, and annotated from a scorpion,
Centruroides vittatus
, and designate it as
Mycoplasma vittatus
. We find the genome is at least a 683,827 bp single circular chromosome with a GC content of 42.7% and with 987 protein-coding genes. The putative virulence determinants include 11 genes associated with the virulence operon associated with protein synthesis or DNA transcription and ten genes with antibiotic and toxic compound resistance. Comparative analysis revealed that the
M. vittatus
genome is smaller than other
Mycoplasma
genomes and exhibits a higher GC content. Phylogenetic analysis shows
M. vittatus
as part of the Hominis group of
Mycoplasma
. As arthropod genomes accumulate, further novel
Mycoplasma
genomes may be identified and characterized.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.