    venom is the toxin used by venomous animals. venom is injected into victims by means of a bite, sting or other sharp body feature. the potency of different venoms varies; lethal venoms are often characterised by the median lethal dose (ld50, ld50, or ld-50), expressed in terms of mass fraction (e.g., milligrams of toxin per kilogram of body mass), that will kill 50% of victims of a specified type (e.g., laboratory mice). utilization of venom across a large amount species demonstrates a classic example of convergent evolution and a homoplastic trait. it is difficult to conclude exactly how this trait came to be so intensely widespread and diversified. the multigene families that encode the toxins of venomous animals are actively selected on, creating more diverse toxins with specific functions. venoms adapt to their environment and victims and accordingly evolve to become maximally efficient on a predatorâs particular prey (particularly the precise ion channels within the prey). consequently, venoms become specialized to an animalâs standard diet.kordiÅ¡, d., & gubenÅ¡ek, f. (2000). adaptive evolution of animal toxin multigene families. gene 261:43-52. ==diversity==  ===invertebrates=== venomous invertebrates include spiders, which use fangs - part of their chelicerae - to inject venom (see spider bite); and centipedes, which use forcipules - modified legs - to deliver venom; along with scorpions and stinging insects, which inject venom with a sting. in insects such as bees and wasps the stinger is a modified egg-laying device â the ovipositor. in polistes fuscatus the female continuously releases a venom that contains a sex pheromone that induces copulatory behavior in males.post, david; robert jeanne (1983). "venom: source of a sex pheromone in the social wasp polistes fuscatus (hymenoptera: vespidae)". journal of chemical ecology 9 (2): 259â266. doi:10.1007/bf00988043. in polistes exclamans venom is used as an alarm pheromone, coordinating a response with from the nest and attracting nearby wasps to attack the predator.post, downing and jeanne (1984). "alarm response to venom by social wasps polistes exclamans and p. fuscatus". journal of chemical ecology 10 (10): 1425â1433. doi:10.1007/bf00990313. in dolichovespula arenaria, the observed spraying of venom out of their sting th
Toxins