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Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2021

Molecular analysis of the mitochondrial markers COI, 12S rDNA and 16S rDNA for six species of Iranian scorpions

Soltan-Alinejad, Parisa; Rafinejad, Javad; Dabiri, Farrokh; Onorati, Piero; Terenius, Olle; Chavshin, Ali Reza

Abstract

Objectives
Annually, 1.2 million humans are stung by scorpions and severely affected by their venom. Some of the scorpion species of medical importance have a similar morphology to species with low toxicity. To establish diagnostic tools for surveying scorpions, the current study was conducted to generate three mitochondrial markers, Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI gene), 12S rDNA and 16S rDNA for six species of medically important Iranian scorpions: Androctonus crassicauda, Hottentotta saulcyi, Mesobuthus caucasicus, M. eupeus, Odontobuthus doriae, and Scorpio maurus.

Results
Phylogenetic analyses of the obtained sequences corroborated the morphological identification. For the first time, 12S rDNA sequences are reported from Androctonus crassicauda, Hottentotta saulcyi, Mesobuthus caucasicus and M. eupeus and also the 16S rDNA sequence from Hottentotta saulcyi. We conclude that the mitochondrial markers are useful for species determination among these medically important species of scorpions.

Keywords

mtDNA; Scorpionidae; Buthidae; Iran

Published in

BMC Research Notes
2021, Volume: 14, number: 1, article number: 40

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Biological Systematics
    Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-021-05449-3

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/115853