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Giménez Carbonari JJ, Oviedo-Diego MA, Peretti AV, Mattoni CI. Sexual dimorphism and functional allometry in scorpions: A comparative study from a neotropical species. ZOOLOGY 2024; 166:126208. [PMID: 39278757 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2024.126208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 09/03/2024] [Accepted: 09/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/18/2024]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism (SD), the divergence of secondary sexual traits between males and females within a species, can arise from diverse evolutionary forces, such as natural selection, mate choice, and intrasexual competition. Allometric scaling patterns of dimorphic traits are related to their functional roles and the different selective pressures that affect each sex. Generally, traits that threaten rivals involved in intrasexual competition tend to exhibit the highest allometric slopes. Conversely, non-sexual traits often display isometric scaling, while genitalia and traits in direct contact between the sexes during courtship and copulation typically show hypoallometry. A good approach to study patterns of SD and allometry is to complement interspecific studies with analyzes of case studies, where the functional aspect is known in detail. Here, we review the occurrence of SD and evaluation of allometry in the Order Scorpiones, allowing us to compare general trends in a broader comparative framework within the group. In addition, we examined SD and allometric slopes of multiple traits (including somatic traits used in sexual and non-sexual interactions, as well as genitalia) in adult individuals of the scorpion Timogenes elegans (Scorpiones, Bothriuridae). We found that at an interspecific level there was a variation in SD between species and morphological traits, with most traits showing a male-biased SD, except for the chelicerae, which were found to be wider in females. Regarding SD studies, we found relatively few reports of functional allometry showing differences in allometric patterns between species. The results in T. elegans follow some of the general patterns found in other scorpions. We found hypoallometry in genital traits and hyperallometry in the pedipalps of both sexes, with steeper allometric slopes observed for pedipalp height in males. These results suggest that genital traits are under stabilizing selective pressure, while pedipalps in both sexes may be under natural and sexual selective pressure. Understanding allometric patterns and their relationship to function in scorpions provides significant insights into the evolutionary pressures driving the divergence of morphological traits used in both sexual and non-sexual contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julieta Jazmín Giménez Carbonari
- Laboratorio de Biología Reproductiva y Evolución. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), CONICET-UNC, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarfield 299, Córdoba X5000, Argentina.
| | - Mariela A Oviedo-Diego
- Laboratorio de Biología Reproductiva y Evolución. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), CONICET-UNC, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarfield 299, Córdoba X5000, Argentina.
| | - Alfredo V Peretti
- Laboratorio de Biología Reproductiva y Evolución. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), CONICET-UNC, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarfield 299, Córdoba X5000, Argentina.
| | - Camilo I Mattoni
- Laboratorio de Biología Reproductiva y Evolución. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), CONICET-UNC, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarfield 299, Córdoba X5000, Argentina.
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Díaz C, Lomonte B, Chang-Castillo A, Bonilla F, Alfaro-Chinchilla A, Triana F, Angulo D, Fernández J, Sasa M. Venomics of Scorpion Ananteris platnicki (Lourenço, 1993), a New World Buthid That Inhabits Costa Rica and Panama. Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:327. [PMID: 39195737 PMCID: PMC11360313 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16080327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2024] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Ananteris is a scorpion genus that inhabits dry and seasonal areas of South and Central America. It is located in a distinctive morpho-group of Buthids, the 'Ananteris group', which also includes species distributed in the Old World. Because of the lack of information on venom composition, the study of Ananteris species could have biological and medical relevance. We conducted a venomics analysis of Ananteris platnicki, a tiny scorpion that inhabits Panama and Costa Rica, which shows the presence of putative toxins targeting ion channels, as well as proteins with similarity to hyaluronidases, proteinases, phospholipases A2, members of the CAP-domain family, and hemocyanins, among others. Venom proteolytic and hyaluronidase activities were corroborated. The determination of the primary sequences carried out by mass spectrometry evidences that several peptides are similar to the toxins present in venoms from Old World scorpion genera such as Mesobuthus, Lychas, and Isometrus, but others present in Tityus and Centruroides toxins. Even when this venom displays the characteristic protein families found in all Buthids, with a predominance of putative Na+-channel toxins and proteinases, some identified partial sequences are not common in venoms of the New World species, suggesting its differentiation into a distinctive group separated from other Buthids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Díaz
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (B.L.); (A.C.-C.); (F.B.); (A.A.-C.); (F.T.); (D.A.); (J.F.); (M.S.)
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (B.L.); (A.C.-C.); (F.B.); (A.A.-C.); (F.T.); (D.A.); (J.F.); (M.S.)
| | - Arturo Chang-Castillo
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (B.L.); (A.C.-C.); (F.B.); (A.A.-C.); (F.T.); (D.A.); (J.F.); (M.S.)
| | - Fabián Bonilla
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (B.L.); (A.C.-C.); (F.B.); (A.A.-C.); (F.T.); (D.A.); (J.F.); (M.S.)
| | - Adriana Alfaro-Chinchilla
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (B.L.); (A.C.-C.); (F.B.); (A.A.-C.); (F.T.); (D.A.); (J.F.); (M.S.)
| | - Felipe Triana
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (B.L.); (A.C.-C.); (F.B.); (A.A.-C.); (F.T.); (D.A.); (J.F.); (M.S.)
| | - Diego Angulo
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (B.L.); (A.C.-C.); (F.B.); (A.A.-C.); (F.T.); (D.A.); (J.F.); (M.S.)
| | - Julián Fernández
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (B.L.); (A.C.-C.); (F.B.); (A.A.-C.); (F.T.); (D.A.); (J.F.); (M.S.)
| | - Mahmood Sasa
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; (B.L.); (A.C.-C.); (F.B.); (A.A.-C.); (F.T.); (D.A.); (J.F.); (M.S.)
- Museo de Zoología, Centro de investigación de Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
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Bryant MJ, Coello AM, Glendening AM, Hilliman SA, Jara CF, Pring SS, Rodríguez Rivera A, Santiago Membreño J, Nigro L, Pauloski N, Graham MR, King T, Jockusch EL, O’Neill RJ, Wegrzyn JL, Santibáñez-López CE, Webster CN. Unveiling the Genetic Blueprint of a Desert Scorpion: A Chromosome-level Genome of Hadrurus arizonensis Provides the First Reference for Parvorder Iurida. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae097. [PMID: 38701023 PMCID: PMC11126328 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Over 400 million years old, scorpions represent an ancient group of arachnids and one of the first animals to adapt to life on land. Presently, the lack of available genomes within scorpions hinders research on their evolution. This study leverages ultralong nanopore sequencing and Pore-C to generate the first chromosome-level assembly and annotation for the desert hairy scorpion, Hadrurus arizonensis. The assembled genome is 2.23 Gb in size with an N50 of 280 Mb. Pore-C scaffolding reoriented 99.6% of bases into nine chromosomes and BUSCO identified 998 (98.6%) complete arthropod single copy orthologs. Repetitive elements represent 54.69% of the assembled bases, including 872,874 (29.39%) LINE elements. A total of 18,996 protein-coding genes and 75,256 transcripts were predicted, and extracted protein sequences yielded a BUSCO score of 97.2%. This is the first genome assembled and annotated within the family Hadruridae, representing a crucial resource for closing gaps in genomic knowledge of scorpions, resolving arachnid phylogeny, and advancing studies in comparative and functional genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meridia Jane Bryant
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Asher M Coello
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - A M Glendening
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Samuel A Hilliman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Carolina Fernanda Jara
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Samuel S Pring
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | | | | | - Lisa Nigro
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Nicole Pauloski
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Matthew R Graham
- Department of Biology, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT, USA
| | - Teisha King
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Elizabeth L Jockusch
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Rachel J O’Neill
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Jill L Wegrzyn
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | | | - Cynthia N Webster
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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Nystrom GS, Ellsworth SA, Ward MJ, Rokyta DR. Varying Modes of Selection Among Toxin Families in the Venoms of the Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions (Hadrurus). J Mol Evol 2023; 91:935-962. [PMID: 38091038 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-023-10148-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Venoms are primarily believed to evolve under strong diversifying selection resulting from persistent coevolution between predator and prey. Recent research has challenged this hypothesis, proposing that venoms from younger venomous lineages (e.g., snakes and cone snails) are governed predominantly by diversifying selection, while venoms from older venomous lineages (e.g., centipedes, scorpions, and spiders) are under stronger purifying selection. However, most research in older lineages has tested selection at more diverse phylogenetic scales. Although these tests are important for evaluating broad macroevolutionary trends underlying venom evolution, they are less equipped to detect species-level evolutionary trends, which likely have large impacts on venom variation seen at more diverse phylogenetic scales. To test for selection among closely related species from an older venomous lineage, we generated high-throughput venom-gland transcriptomes and venom proteomes for four populations of Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions (Hadrurus), including three Hadrurus arizonensis populations and one Hadrurus spadix population. We detected significant episodic and pervasive diversifying selection across a highly abundant toxin family that likely has a major role in venom function ([Formula: see text]KTxs), providing a contrast to the stronger purifying selection identified from other studies on scorpion venoms. Conversely, we detected weak episodic diversifying and/or stronger purifying selection in four toxin families (non-disulfide bridged peptides, phospholipase A2s, scorpine-like antimicrobial peptides, and serine proteases), most of which were less abundant and likely have ancillary functional roles. Finally, although we detected several major toxin families at disproportionate transcriptomic and/or proteomic abundances, we did not identify significant sex-based variation in Hadrurus venoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar S Nystrom
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Dr., Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4295, USA
| | - Schyler A Ellsworth
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Dr., Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4295, USA
| | - Micaiah J Ward
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Dr., Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4295, USA
| | - Darin R Rokyta
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Dr., Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4295, USA.
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