Taxonomic studies on a collection of scorpions (Scorpiones: Arachnida) from Western Ghats in Kerala, India with two new distribution records

Sureshan, P. M.; Bastawade, D. B.; Radhakrishnan, C.

doi:10.11609/jott.zpj.1751.2903-8

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…The black scorpion from Chirathagundu was identified as Heterometrus swammerdami. Heretofore, the scorpion species, H. rugiscutis has not been reported from any part of Karnataka [ 10 ]. Although this study was focused on the collection of scorpions from the regions previously stated, we also collected another scorpion species haphazardly from the premises of Kuvempu University, Shivamogga district, with the aim of displaying the diversity of scorpions in Karnataka; it was identified as Lychas tricarinatus (Simon, 1884), but maintenance and venom collection were not carried out for this species (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Indian scorpions collected in Karnataka: maintenance in captivity, venom extraction and toxicity studies

Santhosh¹,

Dattatreya²,

Boramuthi³

2015

J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis

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BackgroundMaintenance of scorpions under laboratory conditions is ideal for long-term venom collection to explore the therapeutic applications of scorpion venom. Collection of venom by electrical stimulation requires a reliable stimulator and effective restrainer. Thus, the present study was conducted to develop a convenient method to maintain scorpions and to extract their venom for toxicity studies via a modified restrainer and stimulator.MethodsFour different scorpion species were collected, among which three species were maintained in the laboratory in containers that mimic their natural habitat. Venom was extracted from Hottentotta rugiscutis by electrical stimulation at 8 V for 18 months and LD50 was estimated by the graphic method of Miller and Tainter.ResultsA total of 373 scorpions including Hottentotta rugiscutis, Hottentotta tamulus, Lychas tricarinatus and Heterometrus swammerdami were collected, identified and maintained successfully, achieving a 97 % survival rate. Hottentotta rugiscutis yielded 6.0 mL of venom by electrical stimulation. The LD50 of H. rugiscutis venom was estimated to be 3.02 mg/kg of body weight in female Swiss albino mice.ConclusionsScorpions were successfully maintained for 18 months. Herein we have also documented a simple, cost-effective method of venom extraction by electrical stimulation using a modified restrainer. Furthermore, Hottentotta rugiscutis was reported for the first time in Karnataka.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the morphological characteristics such as body color, the shape and size of pedipalps, shape of sternum, color of telson and number of pectine teeth, the collected scorpions were identified to the species level [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indian scorpions collected in Karnataka: maintenance in captivity, venom extraction and toxicity studies

Santhosh¹,

Dattatreya²,

Boramuthi³

2015

J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis

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“…Ten (24%) Asian scorpionid species have been recorded in the area, seven of which are endemic. Prendini and Loria (2020) created a new genus, Sahyadrimetrus , to accommodate six species (Table 2), three of which, S. barberi , S. kanarensis and S. scaber , were previously assigned to subgenus Chersonesometrus by different authors (Couzijn, 1981; Tikader and Bastawade, 1983; Fet, 2000; Sureshan et al, 2007), whereas S. rugosus (as its junior synonym, H. keralaensis Tikader and Bastawade, 1983) was assigned to subgenus Heterometrus based on putative morphological similarities with H. longimanus (Tikader and Bastawade, 1983; Fet, 2000; Sureshan et al, 2007) which proved to be convergent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Like other Scorpionidae, Asian forest scorpions are fossorial, constructing burrows in loamy riverbanks and other sloping terrain, in open ground, at the base of stones or among the roots of trees (Khatavkar and More, 1990; Tare et al, 1993; Prendini et al, 2003; Bastawade, 2004, 2005, 2006a, 2006b, 2008, 2009; Sureshan et al, 2007; Bastawade and Borkar, 2008; Javed et al, 2010; Mirza et al, 2012; Pande et al, 2012; Tahir and Prendini, 2014). Composite, multi‐entranced burrows containing up to 15 related individuals of overlapping generations have been recorded in some species (Shivashankar and Veeresh, 1991; Shivashankar, 1992, 1994) whereas others live subsocially within large termitaria (Hull‐Williams, 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burrowing into the forest: Phylogeny of the Asian forest scorpions (Scorpionidae: Heterometrinae) and the evolution of ecomorphotypes

Loria

Prendini

2020

Cladistics

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Asian forest scorpions (Scorpionidae Latreille, 1802: Heterometrinae Simon, 1879) are distributed across South and Southeast Asia. All are fossorial, constructing burrows under stones or in open ground, in habitats differing in precipitation and vegetation cover, from rainforests and tropical deciduous forests to savanna and scrubland. The systematics of these scorpions has long been confused due to bad taxonomy and the absence of a phylogenetic framework. Although the monophyly of the group was previously confirmed as part of broader phylogenetic analyses based on exemplar species, the only quantitative analysis of species‐level variation to date was based on overall similarity. This contribution presents the first species‐level phylogenetic analysis of Asian Scorpionidae, based on 186 morphological characters and 4188 aligned base‐pairs of DNA sequence data from two nuclear and three mitochondrial loci for 132 terminals including all 41 ingroup species and four outgroup species. Simultaneous analyses of the morphological and molecular datasets with parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference provided the framework for a revised classification presented elsewhere. In order to understand how adaptation following dispersal into new habitats has driven the morphological diversification of Asian forest scorpions, species were scored for 10 characters concerning morphology and burrow architecture, which contributed to an ensemble index of adaptation to habitat aridity. Species were classified into three ecomorphotypes based on the index, and ancestral state reconstruction of ecomorphotypes performed on the phylogeny. A pattern was recovered in which lineages and species occurring in different habitats on a continuum from wet (evergreen forest) to dry (savanna, scrubland) exhibited characters presumed to be adaptive and hence responsible for driving scorpion diversification.

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“…Based on the morphological characteristics such as body colour, the shape and size of pedipalps, shape of the sternum, the colour of telson and several pectine teeth, the collected scorpions were identified to the species level according to Nagaraj et al (2015), Sureshan et al (2007) and Veronika et al (2013).…”

Section: Identification Of Scorpionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxicity and protein composition of venoms of Hottentotta saulcyi, Hottentotta schach and Androctonus crassicauda, three scorpion species collected in Iran

Boghozian

Nazem

Fazilati

et al. 2021

Veterinary Medicine & Sci

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Background: Scorpion stings comprise a serious problem throughout the globe, especially in regions where they are more frequent. Despite a recent upsurge of interest in scorpion venoms by various research groups, there remain many challenges.Objective: Therefore, in this study, we aimed to study the toxicity and protein composition of venoms of Hottentotta saulcyi, Hottentotta schach and Androctonus crassicauda, three scorpion species collected in Iran.Materials and Methods: Scorpion species were collected from Esfahan farm scorpion company and maintained in the laboratory in containers that mimic their natural habitat. Venom was extracted from A. crassicauda, H. schach and H. saulcyi by electrical stimulation of 8 and 10 V. The toxicity of each venom was established by using four groups of male Swiss albino mice aged 2 months (weighting 18-20 g) for testing each dose of venom. One group was used as a control. Venom was injected into mice by subcutaneous route. Then, animals were monitored for 24 h and LD 50 was estimated by the graphic method of Miller and Tainter. Thus, high-performance liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was used to determine amino acids in the venom, and protein concentrations were determined by the Biuret method.Results: LD 50 of scorpion venoms by subcutaneous route was found to be 1.70 mg/kg b.w (A. crassicauda), 1.47 mg/kg b.w (H. saulcyi) and 0.85 mg/kg b.w (H. schach). A. crassicauda, H. saulcyi and H. schach contain 26, 30, and 31 amino acids, respectively. A. crassicauda contains low concentrations of alpha-aminoadipic acid, beta-aminoisobutyric acid, beta-alanine and citrulline. H. saulcyi contains a concentration of hydroxylysine, whereas H. schach has no such concentration. A. crassicauda also had the highest levels of tyrosine and threonine. Only A. crassicauda venom contains a low proportion of proteins (14.80%) compared with those of H. schach (16.26%) and H. saulcyi (16.20%).Albumin content in the venoms was 11.7% (H. saulcyi), 5.4% (H. schach) and 4.4% (A. crassicauda).

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Taxonomic studies on a collection of scorpions (Scorpiones: Arachnida) from Western Ghats in Kerala, India with two new distribution records

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Indian scorpions collected in Karnataka: maintenance in captivity, venom extraction and toxicity studies

Indian scorpions collected in Karnataka: maintenance in captivity, venom extraction and toxicity studies

Burrowing into the forest: Phylogeny of the Asian forest scorpions (Scorpionidae: Heterometrinae) and the evolution of ecomorphotypes

Toxicity and protein composition of venoms of Hottentotta saulcyi, Hottentotta schach and Androctonus crassicauda, three scorpion species collected in Iran

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