Acta Scientific Biotechnology

Research Article Volume 4 Issue 4

Molecular Phylogeny of Scorpions in UAE

Raghad Motaz Faisal*, Hadil Aziz Saeed, Salama Khalid Ibrahim, Fatima Abdalla Ahmed, Muram Ahmed Saeed, Ali Aref Ahmed, Mustafa Anwar Sami and Abdulrahman Jamal Saeed

Department of Applied Biology Research Project Course, University of Sharjah College of Science, UAE

*Corresponding Author: Raghad Motaz Faisal, Department of Applied Biology Research Project Course, University of Sharjah College of Science, UAE.

Received: July 19, 2023; Published: November 09, 2023

Abstract

In phylogenetic investigations, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been frequently used. Scorpion samples were obtained from several locations across the UAE for this investigation. The 16S mitochondrial gene, a component of mitochondrial DNA, was used to identify the scorpions genetically. Androctonus australis (Linnaeus, 1758), A. amoreuxi (Audouin, 1826), A. crassicauda (Olivier, 1807), and A. bicolor (Ehrenberg, 1828) are the four primary medically noteworthy scorpion varieties. Phylogenetic analysis of the obtained sequences confirmed the morphological characterisation. For the first time, the 12S rDNA sequences of Hottentotta saulcyi, Mesobuthus caucasicus, Androctonus crassicauda, and Mesobuthus eupeus, as well as the 16S rDNA sequences of Hottentotta saulcyi, are published. We came to the conclusion that mitochondrial identification markers are useful for identifying these medically important scorpion species. The small genetic variation between the groups was validated, and the taxonomic validity of scorpions was confirmed using molecular data, according to the findings of this study. According to the 16S rRNA sequencing data, the genus appears to be represented in the UAE by a single scorpion species. The goal of this research was to identify the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene in several scorpion species found in the United Arab Emirates, as well as to see if there was any genetic correlation with the colour differences observed among various species of these regions. The current study's nucleotide variations are the first descriptive report for scorpions in UAE.

Keywords: Mesobuthus eupeus; Androctonus australis; UAE

References

  1. Scorpion - Ecology and habitats | Britannica (2022).
  2. Kerkis I., et al. “Toxin bioportides: exploring toxin biological activity and multifunctionality”. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 74 (2017): 647-661.
  3. 131-I-TM-601 Study in Adults With Recurrent High-Grade Glioma - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov. (2022).
  4. Bontems F., et al. “Refined structure of charybdotoxin: common motifs in scorpion toxins and insect defensins”. Science 254 (1991): 1521-1523.
  5. De Melo ET., et al. “Structural characterization of a novel peptide with antimicrobial activity from the venom gland of the scorpion Tityus stigmurus: Stigmurin”. Peptides 68 (2015): 3-10.
  6. Akef HM. “Anticancer and antimicrobial activities of scorpion venoms and their peptides”. 38 (2017): 41-53.
  7. The Scorpion files – Introduction (2022).
  8. Dunlop J and Penney D. “Catalog DJ-T world spider, version undefined, 2012 undefined. A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives”. wsc.nmbe.ch (2022).
  9. Anderson L. “Unmineralised arthropods” (2007).
  10. Fet V., et al. “Catalog of the Scorpions of the World (1758-1998)”. Biological Sciences (2000).
  11. Étude des caractères utilisés pour classer des familles et les genres de Scorpions (Arachnides). 1. La trichobothriotaxie en Arachnologie. Sigles trichobothriaux et types de trichobothriotaxie chez les Scorpions. Bull du Muséum Natl d'Histoire Nat Paris 3 (1974): 140.
  12. Teruel R and Kovařík F. “Redescription of Androctonus bicolor Ehrenberg, 1828, and description of Androctonus turieli sp. n. from Tunisia (Scorpiones: Buthidae)”. Euscorpius (2014): 1-15.
  13. Badry A., et al. “On the scorpion fauna of Egypt, with an identification key (Arachnida: Scorpiones)”. Zoology in the Middle East 64 (2018): 75-87.
  14. Lourenço WR and Qi J xin. “Further considerations on the genus Butheolus Simon, 1882 and description of one new species from Saudi Arabia (Scorpiones: Buthidae)”. 37 (2013): 91-97.
  15. Kinzelbach R., et al. “Vorderer Orient, Skorpione (Arachnida: Scorpiones)= Middle East, scorpions (arachnida: scorpiones)”. ixtheo.de (1985).
  16. Kovařík F., et al. “Review of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 with description of a new species from Ethiopia (Scorpiones: Buthidae)”. mds.marshall.edu (2012).
  17. Alqahtani A., et al. “The scorpion fauna of the southwestern part of Saudi Arabia”. journals.ekb.eg (2019).
  18. Teruel R., et al. “A new species of <em>Androctonus</em> Ehrenberg, 1828 from northwestern Egypt (Scorpiones: Buthidae)”. Euscorpius 2013 (2016): 1-12.
  19. Soltan-Alinejad P., et al. “Molecular analysis of the mitochondrial markers COI, 12S rDNA and 16S rDNA for six species of Iranian scorpions”. BMC Research Notes 14 (2021): 1-6.
  20. Brown WM., et al. “Mitochondrial DNA sequences of primates: tempo and mode of evolution”. Journal of Molecular Evolution 18 (1982): 225-239.
  21. Russo CAM., et al. “Efficiencies of different genes and different tree- building methods in recovering a known vertebrate phylogeny”. Molecular Biology and Evolution 13 (1996): 525-536.
  22. Zardoya R and Meyer A. “Phylogenetic performance of mitochondrial protein-coding genes in resolving relationships among vertebrates”. Molecular Biology and Evolution 13 (1996): 933-942.
  23. Patwardhan A., et al. “Molecular Markers in Phylogenetic Studies - A review”. Journal of Phylogenetics and Evolutionary Biology 2 (2014): 131.

Citation

Citation: Raghad Motaz Faisal., et al. “Molecular Phylogeny of Scorpions in UAE".Acta Scientific Biotechnology 4.4 (2023): 03-17.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Raghad Motaz Faisal., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.




Metrics

Acceptance rate33%
Acceptance to publication20-30 days

Indexed In



News and Events


  • Certification for Review
    Acta Scientific certifies the Editors/reviewers for their review done towards the assigned articles of the respective journals.
  • Submission Timeline for Upcoming Issue
    The last date for submission of articles for regular Issues is July 10, 2024.
  • Publication Certificate
    Authors will be issued a "Publication Certificate" as a mark of appreciation for publishing their work.
  • Best Article of the Issue
    The Editors will elect one Best Article after each issue release. The authors of this article will be provided with a certificate of "Best Article of the Issue"
  • Welcoming Article Submission
    Acta Scientific delightfully welcomes active researchers for submission of articles towards the upcoming issue of respective journals.

Contact US