Bacterial Diversity in the Intestine of Larvae of the Mesquite Borer Beetle, Placosternus erythropus Diversidad Bacteriana en el Intestino de las Larvas del Escarabajo Barrenador del Mezquite, Placosternus erythropus1 Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • Cerambycidae is one of the most diverse and abundant families of wood boring beetles, with 38,583 species described worldwide. One of the main ecological roles of these beetles is the degradation of woody material, but some species are pests that significantly impact agriculture, causing losses of billions of dollars, as well as damage to ecosystems. One species from this family is Placosternus erythropus, the mesquite borer beetle. In this study, we used a metagenomic analysis to determine the bacterial diversity in the intestines of P. erythropus larvae that inhabit Delonix regia trees in Mexico. The most abundant bacterial genera identified were Desulfosarcina, Actibacter, Chlorobaculum, Enterobacter, Sulfurovum, Desulfatiglans, Mycobacterium, Klebsiella, Robiginitalea, Methyloceanibacter, and Filomicrobium, which were members of the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. Interestingly, bacterial genera that had not been previously found in the Cerambycidae included the following: Desulfuromusa, Desulfosarcina, Sideroxydan, Sulfurovum, Thiobios, Woeseia, Actibacter, Chlorobaculum, Dessulfatiglans, Robiginitalea, Methyloceanibacter and Filomicrobium. © 2024 Southwestern Entomological Society. All rights reserved.

publication date

  • July 17, 2024