Chemical defence of a centipede (Clinopodes flavidus).

Chemical substances are of utmost importance for the biotic interactions between animals and their predators/parasites; many of these semiochemicals are emitted for defence purposes. One of the most deterrent and toxic biogenic substances we know of is hydrogen cyanide, which can be stored by certain insects, millipedes, centipedes and arachnids in the form of stable and less volatile molecules. The aim of this study was to analyse the biology and chemistry of such a defence mechanism in a geophilomorph centipede (Chilopoda). The cyanogenic secretion of Clinopodes flavidus is discharged from the ventral glands, whose glandular units are located in the space between the cuticle and the trunk muscles and do not extend deep into the segment. In addition to hydrogen cyanide, the ventral secretion contains 2-methylpentanoic acid, benzaldehyde, benzoyl cyanide, 2-methyl branched C-9 carboxylic acid (tentatively identified as 2-methyloctanoic acid), methyl 2-phenylacetate, benzoic acid and mandelonitrile as well as four major proteins with a molecular weight of 150, 66.2, 59 and 55 kDa. The correlation between the presence of ventral glands and guarding with the female's ventral side facing away from the eggs and young indicates a functional link between these two traits. We hope that the specificity of the chemical composition of the ventral secretion could serve as a criterion for chemotaxonomy and that the analysis of more species will help to clarify the phylogenetic relationships within the Geophilomorpha.

A new genus of scutigerid centipede from southern South America with the description of two new species and an updated molecular phylogeny of the myriapod order Scutigeromorpha (Myriapoda: Chilopoda).

Scutigeromorph centipedes are conspicuous, yet often ignored myriapods for which little work has been conducted in southern South America. After examining recent and museum collections from Chile and Argentina, two new species of generic uncertainty were identified. A new genus of scutigerid centipede, Edgethreua , is therefore described with two new species, E. chilensis from Central Chile (type species of the genus) and E. goloboffi from Argentinian Patagonia. The new genus is characterised by the presence of scattered setiform bristles with short paired spines and the absence of simple spinulae and spines on all stomatotergites, the presence of a single spine-bristle in the prefemur of the second maxilla, a patch of cuticular ridges and pores surrounding the sensilla of the proximal labral portion of the epipharynx, the morphology of the sensilla of the distal patch of the hypopharynx and the morphology of the female gonopods. A phylogenetic analysis of the new species using two nuclear ribosomal RNA genes (18S and 28S rRNA), two mitochondrial ribosomal RNA genes (12S and 16S rRNA) and the mitochondrial protein-encoding gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I show that the new genus does not cluster with any other described genus of scutigeromorph represented in molecular phylogenies. The data indicate that the new genus is probably sister group to a clade including the genera Lassophora , Ballonema and the subfamily Thereuoneminae, although one analysis suggests a position as sister group to Scutigerinae. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A4D453F3-9031-4E21-84C7-87F16C07AD51.

Structurally Diverse Alkaloids with Anti-Renal-Fibrosis Activity from the Centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans.

Twelve new alkaloids, scolopenolines A-L (1-7, 9-11, 13, 14), along with six known analogues, were isolated from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans, identified by analysis of spectroscopic data and quantum chemical and computational methods. Scolopenoline A (1), a unique guanidyl-containing C14 quinoline alkaloid, features a 6/6/5 ring backbone. Scolopenoline B (2) is a novel sulfonyl-containing heterodimer comprising quinoline and tyramine moieties. Scolopenoline G (7) presents a rare C12 quinoline skeleton with a 6/6/5 ring system. Alkaloids 1, 8, 10, and 15-18 display anti-inflammatory activity, while 10 and 16-18 also exhibit anti-renal-fibrosis activity. Drug affinity responsive target stability and RNA-interference assays show that Lamp2 might be a potentially important target protein of 16 for anti-renal-fibrosis activity.

A review of the genus Pachymerium C. L. Koch, 1847 (Geophilomorpha: Geophilidae) from Romania.

Based on the review of the original descriptions of Pachymerium antipai Cpue, 1968, P. atticum Verhoeff, 1901 and P. tabacarui Cpue, 1968 from Romania and the direct study of the external anatomy of P. ferrugineum (C. L. Koch, 1835) and Geophilus flavus (De Geer, 1778) from Romania, Egypt, Italy and Russia, P. antipai and P. aticum sensu Cpue (1968) are proposed as junior subjective synonyms of P. ferrugineum, while P. tabacarui is proposed as a junior subjective synonym of G. flavus. The presence of P. atticum in Romania is hereby considered doubtful. Revisions to the diagnosis of Pachymerium are proposed to help differentiate it from other geophilid genera. A discussion of the relative suitability of different morphological characters for distinguishing species within Pachymerium is also included.

Studies in the New World tribe Anisoscelini Laporte, 1832 (Heteroptera: Coreidae: Coreinae): updated distributions, nomenclatural changes, and keys to the genera of the tribe and the species of Anisoscelis Latreille, 1829 and Bitta Osuna, 1984.

Ninety new country records are recorded for 44 species of Anisoscelini Laporte, 1832 (Heteroptera: Coreidae: Coreinae). Informal distributional records are recognized and included, and updated distributions are provided for all accounted species. The following new synonymy is proposed: Malvana Stl, 1865 (= Belonomus Uhler, 1869, n. syn.) and Malvana serrulata Stl, 1865 (= Belonomus annulaticornis Uhler, 1869, n. syn.). The rank of one genus is reinstated: Bitta Osuna, 1984, stat. resurr. (formerly a subgenus of Anisoscelis Latreille, 1829). The following new or restored combinations are proposed: Bitta affinis (Westwood, 1840), comb. reins., Bitta alipes (Gurin-Mneville, 1833), comb. reins., Bitta gradadia (Distant, 1881), comb. reins., Bitta hymeniphera (Westwood, 1840), comb. reins., Bitta lurida (Brailovsky, 2016), comb. nov., and Bitta podalica Brailovsky & Mayorga, 1995, comb. reins.. We also present dichotomous keys to the twenty-nine genera of Anisoscelini, and to the species of the genera Anisoscelis Latreille, 1829 and Bitta Osuna, 1984.

A new dwarf schendylid centipede (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha: Schendylidae) with a low number of legs from Serbia, Balkan Peninsula.

Schendyla antici sp. nov., a dwarf geophilomorph from the Mt. Medvednik (Western Serbia, Balkan Peninsula), is described and illustrated based on the specimens extracted from the soil samples. A detailed comparison with all species within the genus is provided. The new species has the lowest number of leg-bearing segments within the genus Schendyla Bergse & Meinert, 1866, and one of the lowest in the order Geophilomorpha in general.

Isolation and structural identification of a potassium ion channel Kv4.1 inhibitor SsTx-P2 from centipede venom. / 蜈蚣毒液中钾离子通道Kv4.1抑制剂SsTx-P2的分离和结构鉴定.

OBJECTIVES: To isolate a potassium ion channel Kv4.1 inhibitor from centipede venom, and to determine its sequence and structure. METHODS: Ion-exchange chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography were performed to separate and purify peptide components of centipede venom, and their inhibiting effect on Kv4.1 channel was determined by whole-cell patch clamp recording. The molecular weight of isolated peptide Kv4.1 channel inhibitor was identified with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry; its primary sequence was determined by Edman degradation sequencing and two-dimensional mass spectrometry; its structure was established based on iterative thread assembly refinement online analysis. RESULTS: A peptide SsTx-P2 was separated from centipede venom with the molecular weight of 6122.8, and its primary sequence consists of 53 amino acid residues NH2-ELTWDFVRTCCKLFPDKSECTKACATEFTGGDESRLKDVWPRKLRSGDSRLKD-OH. Peptide SsTx-P2 potently inhibited the current of Kv4.1 channel transiently transfected in HEK293 cell, with 1.0 µmol/L SsTx-P2 suppressing 95% current of Kv4.1 channel. Its structure showed that SsTx-P2 shared a conserved helical structure. CONCLUSIONS: The study has isolated a novel peptide SsTx-P2 from centipede venom, which can potently inhibit the potassium ion channel Kv4.1 and displays structural conservation.

[Progress in the clinical application of centipede in andrology].

Centipede is an important traditional Chinese medicine with a long history of clinical application and a wide range of effects, and its use in the field of andrology is also expanding.In this study, the drug experience and clinical research progress of centipede in erectile dysfunction, chronic prostatitis, prostate cancer, varicocele, chronic epididymitis, epididymal nodules, functional non-ejaculation, scrotal eczema and other diseases were reviewed.

Three new centipede species of the genus Newportia Gervais, 1847 from Colombia (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopocryptopidae, Newportiinae).

Three new species of the genus Newportia Gervais, 1847 from Colombia are described and illustrated. They were found in the cloud forests of the eastern Andes and in the rainforests of the biogeographical Choc, ecosystems where the centipede fauna has been little studied. Newportia (Newportia) florezi sp. nov. differs from other Newportia species in the arrangement of the spinous processes on the prefemur of the ultimate legs, while Newportia (Newportia) anopla sp. nov. has a coxopleuron without any trace of a coxopleural process and possesses an atypically small forcipular coxosternite. Newportia (Newportia) tequendama sp. nov. is morphologically similar to Newportia pusilla Pocock, 1893, but differs in having an undivided tarsus 2 in the ultimate legs and the arrangement of the spinous processes on the prefemur and femur. An identification key for the Colombian species of Newportia is provided.

A new quinoline alkaloid from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans / 中国中药杂志

Three compounds, including scolosprine C(1), uracil(2) and hypoxanthine(3), were isolated and purified from the ethyl acetate fraction of centipede by silica gel normal-phase column chromatography, reversed-phase medium pressure preparation chromatography, and high-pressure semi-preparative HPLC. The structure was elucidated through a combination of spectroscopic analyses [such as nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) and mass spectrometry(MS)] and literature review. Among them, compound 1 was a new quinoline alkaloid. In previous reports, we have described the isolation and structure elucidation of one new and two known quinoline alkaloids. In this paper, we would report the isolation and structure elucidation of scolosprine C in detail.

Mitochondrial activity disruption and local muscle damage induced in mice by Scolopendra polymorpha venom

Scolopendra polymorpha (S. polymorpha) is a predatory centipede whose venom contains a multiplicity of biochemical effectors that can cause muscle damage and cumulative cell destruction in its prey. Despite previous investigations of S. polymorpha and other centipede venoms, there is a lack of information on the morphological and biochemical patterns elicited by their myotoxic effects. To elucidate these processes, this paper presents evidence of skeletal muscle damage, and alterations in key biochemical mediators that appear only after exposure to centipede venom. Methods: Venom was collected and fractionated using RP-HPLC; mouse extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle was exposed to whole venom and venom fractions to evaluate myotoxicity by means of creatine kinase (CK) - a muscle damage marker - activity measurements and histochemical analysis. Results: CK activity was higher in EDL muscle exposed to venom than in unexposed muscle. This increase was observed after 15 min of venom incubation, and remained stable up to 45 min. Venom-exposed EDL muscle showed signs of muscle damage including necrosis, loss of fascicular structure as well as mitochondrial accumulations and ragged red fibers (RRF), suggesting an impairment in the normal mitochondrial arrangement. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and cytochrome oxidase (COX) tests also indicate that respiratory complexes might be affected. Conclusion: Our results suggest a different biochemical composition of S. polymorpha venom, based on the different effects of four venom fractions on the cells tested, according to statistical evidence. Fractions F6 and F7 caused the most important alterations.(AU)

Importancia del conocimiento de la entomología en la formación del médico en Colombia, Venezuela y América Latina / Importance of knowledge in entomology for the training of physicians from Colombia, Venezuela and Latin America

He leído con atención y beneplácito la carta al editor de Agudelo-Espina y colaboradores (1), en donde realizan comentarios acerca de la importancia y relevancia de incluir todo lo relacionado con la enseñanza de la entomología médica en las pensa de estudio para la formación de un médico general, particularmente en Risaralda, Pereira, Colombia. Aplaudo dichos comentarios especialmente porque la mayoría de los autores son estudiantes de pregrado, quienes, de acuerdo con nuestra experiencia, muchas veces consideran, si se quiere, con cierto desdén este tipo de conocimiento básico; al menos ese es al caso en la Universidad Nacional Experimental "Francisco de Miranda", estado Falcón, Venezuela. A pesar de que compartimos similares puntos de vista con los autores en la mayoría de los tópicos abordados en su artículo, no obstante, deseamos hacer comentarios, y ampliar y complementar las ideas abordadas. Si bien la palabra entomología deriva etimológicamente del griego "entomón" (insecto) y "logo" (ciencia), por extensión la entomología médica se encarga del estudio no sólo de los insectos que poseen importancia en la salud pública, sino que también de otras clases del Phylum de los artrópodos (Arachnida, Crustacea, Chilopoda, Diplopoda) (2), ya que muchos de los mismos pueden afectar a los humanos y sus animales de varias maneras, ya sea como i) una simple y mera molestia, e inclusive se considera la entomofobia dentro de los problemas médicos de tipo psiquiátrico; ii) pueden ocasionar envenenamientos con sus picaduras; iii) pueden actuar como endo y ectoparásitos, y iv) pueden actuar como vectores de peligrosos microorganismos patógenos (3). Por ello, pareciera ser deseable implementar también, probablemente con mayor propiedad y amplitud, el término artropodología médica o sanitaria.

I have read with attention and pleasure the letter to the editor by Agudelo-Espina et al (1), in which they comment on the importance and relevance of including everything related to the teaching of medical entomology in the curriculum for the training of a general practitioner, particularly in Risaralda, Pereira, Colombia. I applaud these comments especially because most of the authors are undergraduate students, who, according to our experience, often regard, if you will, this kind of basic knowledge with some disdain; at least that is the case at the Universidad Nacional Experimental "Francisco de Miranda", Falcón state, Venezuela. Although we share similar points of view with the authors on most of the topics addressed in their article, we would nevertheless like to make comments, and to expand and complement the ideas addressed. Although the word entomology is etymologically derived from the Greek "entomón" (insect) and "logo" (science), by extension medical entomology is concerned not only with the study of insects of public health importance, but also with other classes of the arthropod phylum (Arachnida, Crustacea, Chilopoda, Diplopoda) (2), as many of them can affect humans and their animals in various ways, either as (i) a mere nuisance, and entomophobia is even considered to be a psychiatric medical problem; ii) they can cause poisoning with their bites; iii) they can act as endo- and ectoparasites; and iv) they can act as vectors of dangerous pathogenic micro-organisms (3). Therefore, it would seem desirable to implement the term medical or sanitary arthropodology, probably more appropriately and more broadly.