Variation in bacterial endosymbionts associated with the date palm hopper, Ommatissus lybicus populations
عنوان دوره: دومین کنگره بین المللی حشره شناسی ایران
نویسندگان
چکیده
The date palm hopper, Ommatissus lybicus de Bergevin (Hemiptera: Tropiduchidae), is a key pest of the date palm which is expected to be comprised of many allopatric populations. Both nymphs and adults of this bivoltine pest cause significant damage to date palms by sucking the phloem sap. Most plant-sucking hemipterans are known to be associated with obligatory and facultative bacterial endosymbionts. The current study was carried out to determine bacterial endosymbiont diversity in the different populations of this pest. Ten date palm hopper populations were collected from the main date palm growing regions in Iran and an additional four samples from Pakistan, Oman, Egypt and Tunisia for detection of primary and secondary endosymbionts using PCR assay with their specific primers. The PCR products were directly sequenced and edited using SeqMan software. The consensus sequences were subjected to a BLAST similarity search. The results revealed the presence of “Candidatus Sulcia muelleri” (primary endosymbiont) and Wolbachia, Arsenophonus and Enterobacter (secondary endosymbionts) in all populations. This assay failed to detect “Candidatus Nasuia deltocephalinicola” and Serratia in these populations. “Ca. S. muelleri” exhibited a 100% infection frequency in populations and Wolbachia, Arsenophonus and Enterobacter demonstrated 100%, 93.04% and 97.39% infection frequencies, respectively. The infection rate of Arsenophonus and Enterobacter ranged from 75% to 100% and 62.5% to 100%, respectively, in different populations of the insect. The results demonstrated multiple infections by “Ca. Sulcia muelleri”, Wolbachia, Arsenophonus and Enterobacter in the populations and may suggest significant roles for these endosymbionts on date palm hopper population fitness. This is the first study to verify and establish the endosymbiont flora of the DPH as a key pest of the date palm with a worldwide distribution. Additional study is required to understand the role of these endosymbionts on the life history traits of the DPH and provide a pathway to establishing ecofriendly pest management through symbiotic control of this pest.
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