Showing papers on "Naja published in 2008"
TL;DR: This study quantified the amount of black pigment on ventral scales, and found prominent differences in ventral coloration of populations across Taiwan; populations in eastern Taiwan have black ventral scale while populations in the west are predominantly white.
Abstract: Differences in coloration between eastern and western populations of the Chinese cobra (Naja atra) in Taiwan have been noted by snake collectors, snake keepers, and users of Chinese traditional medicine, but have never been verified by scientific research. In this study, we quantified the amount of black pigment on ventral scales, and found prominent differences in ventral coloration of populations across Taiwan; populations in eastern Taiwan have black ventral scales while populations in the west are predominantly white. Previous studies have shown a similar east-west population differentiation in regards to venom components. We supplement these data with mitochondrial control region sequences, which show extremely low nucleotide diversity. Black-ventral and white-ventral snakes share major haplotypes and show no genetic differentiation. Nevertheless, moderate Fst and low Nm values between populations indicate low levels of gene flow. With a morphological fixation earlier than mitochondrial sequences on a relatively short evolutionary time scale, ventral coloration is potentially a result of local adaptation. Based upon the results of this study, along with traditional observations, we strongly recommend treating each of the four populations of the Chinese cobra in Taiwan as distinct ESUs. Reintroducing confiscated snakes from the illegal trade back into the wild needs to be halted to prevent artifical gene flow.
17 citations
TL;DR: Unravelling the complexities of the human coagulation pathways (intrinsic and extrinsic) has involved studies using haemotoxins from various snakes, including Russell's vipers, the saw-scaled vipers and the Australian taipans.
Abstract: Our knowledge of animal and human physiological processes owes much to over a century of study of natural toxins. The neurotoxins of kraits (bungarotoxins from Bungarus spp.) and cobras (Naja spp.) have helped define the acetylcholine receptor and neuromuscular transmission. Axonal trafficking and sodium channels have been studied using tetrodotoxin from the blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena spp.) and puffer fish (fugu). Unravelling the complexities of the human coagulation pathways (intrinsic and extrinsic) has involved studies using haemotoxins from various snakes, including Russell's vipers (Daboia russelii), the saw-scaled vipers (Echis spp.) and the Australian taipans (Oxyuranus spp.). Ancrod is a snake venom enzyme from the Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma) which has been successfully used to treat thrombotic stroke.
2 citations
31 Dec 2008
TL;DR: Attempts have been made to permit the comparison between the venoms of these two crucial species of Pakistan by expounding interesting differences in their protein fingerprints.
Abstract: The electrophoretic characterization of the venom proteins has emerged as a highly efficient method for taxonomic studies for the venomous snakes belonging to Elapidae and Viperidae families. In Pakistan, most snake venom studies have been conducted regarding the general or intra-specific characteristics of venom of a particular snake species. No comparative study, however, has been undertaken in order to understand the basic differences between the protein patterns of the two most abundant and deadly snakes of the Central Punjab province of Pakistan viz. the common Cobra (Naja naja) and the Saw-scaled Viper (Echis carinatus). In the present study attempts have been made to permit the comparison between the venoms of these two crucial species of Pakistan by expounding interesting differences in their protein fingerprints.