by The “camel spider” has nothing to do with dromedaries; not even bugs are attracted to their humps. Often referred to as the “neglected cousins of the arachnid,” or “air spiders,” camel spiders are not spiders but a ginger-colored type of scorpion that has long been of interest because of their amazing characteristics such as aggressiveness, exceptional speed of flight. , and adapt to arid environments.
Known to scientists as solifugae, they are predators and carnivores that move very quickly, up to 16 kilometers per hour. These arachnids have strong jaws and can bite when they feel threatened but are non-venomous. Found in arid climates around the world including the Middle East, Mexico, and the southwestern US, they have a lifespan of about a year and are very difficult to grow in captivity.
“We now have a better picture of their evolutionary history and relationships, and our proposed suborders provide a solid framework for future research in this interesting area”
Dr. Efrat Gavish-Regev, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Despite their infamy, the lack of a high-level phylogeny (molecular evolutionary tree) has left many unanswered questions about how these fascinating creatures evolved.
Now, a new study has been published in the journal Science under the title “No more care: Phylogenomic resolution of higher order relationships in Solifugae.” Led by Prof. Prashant Sharma of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Dr. Efrat Gavish-Regev of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU), team members have unraveled the long-standing mysteries surrounding these arachnids. This pioneering research marks a milestone by establishing the first molecular tree, or phylogeny, of this complex arachnid sequence, shedding light on their evolutionary history and relationships.
Using advanced sequencing technology and a unique genetic data set, the study overcame past difficulties in distinguishing and understanding the evolution of these amazing creatures. The research not only classifies camel spiders into two new groups but also highlights the importance of modern genomic techniques in uncovering the secrets of complex organisms, ultimately deepening our appreciation of biology and evolution.
Their first comprehensive molecular tree of this complex arachnid arrangement was based on high-throughput sequencing technology and a novel data set. In the past, it was difficult to study camel spiders because we could not easily distinguish them based on their phenotype. Until recently, the phylogeny of only one of the 12 recent families of camel spiders was studied using their genetic information, mainly because many historical specimens were stored for decades in collections around the world under conditions that damaged their DNA. and made it irrelevant to genomic studies.
But now, Sharma, Gavish-Regev, and their colleagues have used sophisticated methods to look at specific parts of the genome that are conserved in all camel spiders and surrounding regions that have changed during evolution. Led by Dr. Siddharth Kulkarni, a postdoctoral researcher at Madison, the novel method they use can take advantage of historical factors and increase fragmented DNA in genetic analysis. This allowed them to learn more about all the different families of camel spiders and their relationships to each other.
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They found that there are two main groups of camel spiders in the Americas – part of a larger group of camel spiders that first appeared in the tropics long ago. By looking at ancient evidence such as fossils, they found that scorpions first appeared around 250 to 300 million years ago during the Permian period. Most of these families had already diverged from each other before the great extinction event about 66 million years ago, in which many species, including the dinosaurs, disappeared. This shows that the breakup of the continents had a major impact on how camel spiders evolved.
Gavish-Regev said he was very excited about their findings because “our work has brought camel spiders out of the shadows and into the light of phylogenomic analysis.” We now have a better picture of their evolutionary history and relationships, and our proposed suborders provide a solid framework for future research in this interesting area. It will promote research on Solifugae and make us appreciate the diversity of life on Earth.”
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