Olivierus Martensii
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''Olivierus martensii'' is a species of scorpion in the family Buthidae. Its common names include Chinese scorpion,''Mesobuthus martensii'' (Manchurian scorpion) (''Buthus martensii'')
UniProt Taxonomy database
Manchurian scorpion, Chinese armor-tail scorpion and Chinese golden scorpion. Despite its common name, this scorpion is not only found in Manchuria or
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, but also in Mongolia and Korea. The record from Japan is doubtful. Its preferred habitat is warm, dry areas with little vegetation. ''O. martensii'' can grow to about long, with females usually slightly larger, and has a life-span of about 4 to 6 years.


Taxonomic history

This species of scorpion was first described as ''Buthus martensii'' by German arachnologist Ferdinand Karsch in 1879. Independently, Simon in 1880 described specimens he found in the gardens of the summer palace at Peking (present-day Beijing) as ''Buthus confucius'', which Karsch synonymized as ''Buthus martensii'' in 1881. Subsequently, in 1950, it was transferred to '' Mesobuthus'', a new genus established by French arachnologist Max Vachon. In 2019 the genus '' Olivierus'' was restored from synonymy of '' Mesobuthus'' and the species was transferred to '' Olivierus''.


Venom

The venom of ''O. martensii'' is composed of many different toxins. Over the past few decades, dozens of novel proteins in this scorpion's venom have been identified, cloned and investigated for clinical applications. For instance, at least 51 long-chain peptides related to the sodium channel toxins (''e.g.'' Makatoxin-3) and 18 peptides related to the potassium channel toxins have been described, along with two peptides, ''Bm''K AS and
AS1 AS1 or AS-1 may refer to: * ActionScript version 1 * As One (Hong Kong band) * AS1 (networking) * AS-1, a Soviet-era prototype assault rifle that led to the AN-94 * Raduga KS-1 Komet, a missile referred to as the AS-1 'Kennel' by the West * ''RuP ...
, that act on
ryanodine receptor Ryanodine receptors (RyR for short) form a class of intracellular calcium channels in various forms of excitable animal tissue like muscles and neurons. There are three major isoforms of the ryanodine receptor, which are found in different tissu ...
s. Apart from having
analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...
properties, ''Bm''K AS is also the first long-chain scorpion peptide reported to have antimicrobial activity. Amongst the sodium channel-specific neurotoxins, there are a number of muscle relaxants, such as makatoxin I and
bukatoxin Bukatoxin is an α- scorpion toxin found in the venom of the Chinese scorpion ''Buthus martensi'' Karsch. By blocking the inactivation of sodium ion channels, α-scorpion toxins prolong action potentials. Sources Bukatoxin (short names: BukaTx or ...
, while ''Bm''KAEP and ''Bm''K IT2 have shown
anticonvulsant Anticonvulsants (also known as antiepileptic drugs or recently as antiseizure drugs) are a diverse group of pharmacological agents used in the treatment of epileptic seizures. Anticonvulsants are also increasingly being used in the treatment of b ...
activity in experimental conditions, inhibiting epileptic seizures induced in rats. ''Bm''K AGAP has both
analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...
and antitumor properties and recombinant proteins could potentially be used in anticancer treatments. ''O. martensii'', especially its tail, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for many centuries to treat various neuronal problems, such as chronic pain,
paralysis Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...
, apoplexy and epilepsy.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1319714 Buthidae Scorpions of Asia Arthropods of China Arthropods of Korea Arthropods of Mongolia Chelicerates of Japan Animals described in 1879 Taxa named by Ferdinand Karsch