Document Detail


Toxicity of venoms from vipers of Pelias group to crickets Gryllus assimilis and its relation to snake entomophagy.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  17341427     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The existing data indicate that snake venom is most toxic towards the natural vertebrate preys. Several species of snake include arthropods in their food. However, there is no available data on the toxicity of venom from entomophagous snakes towards their prey. We have studied the toxicity of venom from vipers of Pelias group towards crickets Gryllus assimilis. The Pelias group includes several closely related viper species inhabiting mainly the South European part of Russia, and they differ in their feeding preferences. Snakes from the Vipera renardi, Vipera lotievi, Vipera kaznakovi, and Vipera orlovi species feed on wide range of animals including insects, whereas snakes from Vipera berus and Vipera nikolskii species do not include insects in their diet. We have found that the venom from vipers that include insects in their diet possesses greater toxicity towards crickets. The greatest toxicity was observed for the venom from V. lotievi, which displays a preference for insects in its diet. Therefore, based on our data, we suggest that the viper entomophagy is not a result of behavior plasticity, but is probably determined at a genetic level.
Authors:
Vladislav G Starkov; Alexey V Osipov; Yuri N Utkin
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't     Date:  2007-02-06
Journal Detail:
Title:  Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology     Volume:  49     ISSN:  0041-0101     ISO Abbreviation:  Toxicon     Publication Date:  2007 Jun 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2007-05-08     Completed Date:  2007-08-09     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  1307333     Medline TA:  Toxicon     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  995-1001     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, ul. Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, Moscow V-437, 117997 GSP, Russian Federation.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Feeding Behavior
Gryllidae / drug effects*
Toxicity Tests
Viper Venoms / isolation & purification,  toxicity*
Viperidae / physiology*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Viper Venoms

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