COMPARATIVE STUDY OF VENOMS OF GENERA Bothrops: PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS

FURTADO, M.F.D.(1)

(1)Laboratório Herpetologia, Instituto Butantan

The Neotropical pitviper genus Bothrops comprises about 20 species in Brazil, occurring in all main ecosystems. This taxon is responsible for most snakebite in human. There is no consensus in the systematics of this group. Morphology, habits and MtDNA have been extensively used as characters to subdivide the genus Bothrops. In this study, we use the phylogenetic analysis of activities of venoms from 18 species of Bothrops and Bothrocophias hyoprorus (outgroup). Eighteen activities of venom were determinated, Results obtained were codified in characters and data matrix was constructed. The analysis of data (Hennig 86) revealed 1687 trees. Remotion of amidolytic activity character, produced 4 most parsimonious tree with same topology, with 50 steps and consistency index =38 and retention index =63. B.atrox appears closest to the outgroup, B.bilineatus in an isolated branch, B.brazili and B.marajoensis group together, isolated branches appear with B.moojeni, B.leucurus, B.pradoi, B.neuwiedi, B.jararacussu and B.pirajai. Differences in trees were noticed regarding the position of B.erythromelas, B.alternatus, B.taeniatus, B.cotiara and B.fonsecai . All of them constant in one branch in 2 trees whereas B.itapetiningae joined to that branch in 2 trees and with B.insularis e B.jararaca in another 2 cladograms. Venom activities common for all Bothrops species are: fibrinolytic activity by metalloproteinase and  hydrolyse of fibrinogen a-chain. Amidolytic activity presents wide variation among the species. Venom activities such as band of 63 kDa in SDS-PAGE, phospholipase activity and serino-proteinase inhibitor group Bothrops clades in an arrangement presented below. Comparing phylogeny produced with venom data to MtDNA phylogenies (Salomão et al, 1999, Kaupia:127-134), there are similarities in topology concerning: group 1 - B.moojeni, B.leucurus, B.pradoi, group 2 - B.jararacussu, B.pirajai, group 3 - B.jararaca, B.insulares and group  4 - B.cotiara, B.fonsecai, B.alternatus, B.itapetiningae. Clashes were detected when analyzing the grouping of B.atrox, B.marajoensis, B.brazili, B.neuwiedi, B.erythromelas, B.taeniatus and B.bilineatus.

CORRESPONDENCE TO:

FURTADO, M.F.D., Laboratório Herpetologia, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, 05503-900, SP, Brasil. Email: fatimabut@lycos.com