DNA Barcoding for Scorpion Species from New Valley Governorate in Egypt Reveals Different Degrees of Cryptic Speciation and Species Misnaming
(1) Background: Scorpions (Arthropoda: Arachnida) represent a diverse group of invertebrates, accounting for a significant proportion of earth’s predators and ecosystems’ modulators. Surviving mostly in hardly reachable nests, and representing key hazards to human health, they attracted major intere...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-08-01
|
| Series: | Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/1/3/18 |
| _version_ | 1797519792178987008 |
|---|---|
| author | Khaled Mohammed-Geba Ahmad Hamed Obuid-Allah Naser Abdellatif El-Shimy Mohamed Abd El-Moez Mahbob Rouwaida Saadawy Ali Shimaa Mohamed Said |
| author_facet | Khaled Mohammed-Geba Ahmad Hamed Obuid-Allah Naser Abdellatif El-Shimy Mohamed Abd El-Moez Mahbob Rouwaida Saadawy Ali Shimaa Mohamed Said |
| author_sort | Khaled Mohammed-Geba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Background: Scorpions (Arthropoda: Arachnida) represent a diverse group of invertebrates, accounting for a significant proportion of earth’s predators and ecosystems’ modulators. Surviving mostly in hardly reachable nests, and representing key hazards to human health, they attracted major interest for characterizing their eco-, morpho-, and genotypes. (2) Methods: Four scorpion species were collected from the New Valley governorate in Upper Egypt, where a high level of scorpionism and related neurological symptoms are found, that were <i>Leiurus quinquestriatus</i>, <i>Androctonus amoreuxi</i>, <i>Orthochirus innesi</i>, <i>Buthacus leptochelys.</i> They were DNA barcoded, genetically and phylogenetically analyzed through PCR amplification and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene hypervariable 5′ region. (3) Results: New, morphologically authenticated scorpion barcodes could be added to the barcoding databases. However, several discrepancies and barcode database inadequacies could be revealed. Moreover, taxon-specific patterns for nitrogenous bases’ distribution could be identified, resulting in a significantly high percentage of COI barcode guanine in scorpionids, in comparison to araneids and opilions. (4) Conclusions: For a group of animals where both cryptic speciation and a high risk of human envenomation are evident, the findings of the current study strongly recommend continuous and comprehensive research efforts dealing with morphogenetic authentication for different species of scorpions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:47:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d161946fe4184e419511aa02fb395d63 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-7159 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:47:48Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-d161946fe4184e419511aa02fb395d632023-11-22T12:33:51ZengMDPI AGConservation2673-71592021-08-011322824010.3390/conservation1030018DNA Barcoding for Scorpion Species from New Valley Governorate in Egypt Reveals Different Degrees of Cryptic Speciation and Species MisnamingKhaled Mohammed-Geba0Ahmad Hamed Obuid-Allah1Naser Abdellatif El-Shimy2Mohamed Abd El-Moez Mahbob3Rouwaida Saadawy Ali4Shimaa Mohamed Said5Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom 32952, EgyptZoology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, EgyptZoology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, EgyptZoology and Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharga 72511, EgyptZoology and Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharga 72511, EgyptZoology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt(1) Background: Scorpions (Arthropoda: Arachnida) represent a diverse group of invertebrates, accounting for a significant proportion of earth’s predators and ecosystems’ modulators. Surviving mostly in hardly reachable nests, and representing key hazards to human health, they attracted major interest for characterizing their eco-, morpho-, and genotypes. (2) Methods: Four scorpion species were collected from the New Valley governorate in Upper Egypt, where a high level of scorpionism and related neurological symptoms are found, that were <i>Leiurus quinquestriatus</i>, <i>Androctonus amoreuxi</i>, <i>Orthochirus innesi</i>, <i>Buthacus leptochelys.</i> They were DNA barcoded, genetically and phylogenetically analyzed through PCR amplification and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene hypervariable 5′ region. (3) Results: New, morphologically authenticated scorpion barcodes could be added to the barcoding databases. However, several discrepancies and barcode database inadequacies could be revealed. Moreover, taxon-specific patterns for nitrogenous bases’ distribution could be identified, resulting in a significantly high percentage of COI barcode guanine in scorpionids, in comparison to araneids and opilions. (4) Conclusions: For a group of animals where both cryptic speciation and a high risk of human envenomation are evident, the findings of the current study strongly recommend continuous and comprehensive research efforts dealing with morphogenetic authentication for different species of scorpions.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/1/3/18<i>Androctonus amoreuxi</i><i>Buthacus leptochelys</i>DNA barcoding<i>Leiurus quinquestriatus</i>misnamingmorphogenetic |
| spellingShingle | Khaled Mohammed-Geba Ahmad Hamed Obuid-Allah Naser Abdellatif El-Shimy Mohamed Abd El-Moez Mahbob Rouwaida Saadawy Ali Shimaa Mohamed Said DNA Barcoding for Scorpion Species from New Valley Governorate in Egypt Reveals Different Degrees of Cryptic Speciation and Species Misnaming Conservation <i>Androctonus amoreuxi</i> <i>Buthacus leptochelys</i> DNA barcoding <i>Leiurus quinquestriatus</i> misnaming morphogenetic |
| title | DNA Barcoding for Scorpion Species from New Valley Governorate in Egypt Reveals Different Degrees of Cryptic Speciation and Species Misnaming |
| title_full | DNA Barcoding for Scorpion Species from New Valley Governorate in Egypt Reveals Different Degrees of Cryptic Speciation and Species Misnaming |
| title_fullStr | DNA Barcoding for Scorpion Species from New Valley Governorate in Egypt Reveals Different Degrees of Cryptic Speciation and Species Misnaming |
| title_full_unstemmed | DNA Barcoding for Scorpion Species from New Valley Governorate in Egypt Reveals Different Degrees of Cryptic Speciation and Species Misnaming |
| title_short | DNA Barcoding for Scorpion Species from New Valley Governorate in Egypt Reveals Different Degrees of Cryptic Speciation and Species Misnaming |
| title_sort | dna barcoding for scorpion species from new valley governorate in egypt reveals different degrees of cryptic speciation and species misnaming |
| topic | <i>Androctonus amoreuxi</i> <i>Buthacus leptochelys</i> DNA barcoding <i>Leiurus quinquestriatus</i> misnaming morphogenetic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/1/3/18 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT khaledmohammedgeba dnabarcodingforscorpionspeciesfromnewvalleygovernorateinegyptrevealsdifferentdegreesofcrypticspeciationandspeciesmisnaming AT ahmadhamedobuidallah dnabarcodingforscorpionspeciesfromnewvalleygovernorateinegyptrevealsdifferentdegreesofcrypticspeciationandspeciesmisnaming AT naserabdellatifelshimy dnabarcodingforscorpionspeciesfromnewvalleygovernorateinegyptrevealsdifferentdegreesofcrypticspeciationandspeciesmisnaming AT mohamedabdelmoezmahbob dnabarcodingforscorpionspeciesfromnewvalleygovernorateinegyptrevealsdifferentdegreesofcrypticspeciationandspeciesmisnaming AT rouwaidasaadawyali dnabarcodingforscorpionspeciesfromnewvalleygovernorateinegyptrevealsdifferentdegreesofcrypticspeciationandspeciesmisnaming AT shimaamohamedsaid dnabarcodingforscorpionspeciesfromnewvalleygovernorateinegyptrevealsdifferentdegreesofcrypticspeciationandspeciesmisnaming |