Identification and Biological Role of the Endosymbionts Wolbachia in Rice Water Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

• Published in: Environmental entomology Vol. 41; no. 3; pp. 469 - 477
• Main Authors: Chen, Shu-Juan, Lu, Fang, Cheng, Jia-An, Jiang, Ming-Xing, Way, Michael O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Entomological Society of America 01.06.2012
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; arthropods; bacteria; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; China; eggs; endosymbionts; fecundity; Female; introduced species; Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus; Molecular Sequence Data; Multilocus Sequence Typing; oocytes; parthenogenesis; Pest Control, Biological; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; population; Reproduction - drug effects; tetracycline; Tetracycline - pharmacology; Texas; tissues; Weevils - drug effects; Weevils - microbiology; Weevils - physiology; Wolbachia; Wolbachia - genetics; Wolbachia - physiology; China; Texas
• ISSN: 0046-225X; 1938-2936
• DOI: 10.1603/EN11195

Wolbachia spp. are obligate intracellular bacteria present in reproductive tissues of many arthropod species. Wolbachia infection status and roles in host reproduction were studied in the rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), an introduced species in China. We examined Wolbachia infection status in five populations in China where it reproduces parthenogenetically, and one native population in Southeast Texas, where it reproduces bisexually. All populations were infected by Wolbachia, and all specimens in each population were infected by Wolbachia of a single strain. Phylogenetic analyses based on multilocus sequence typing system indicated that Wolbachia in non-native L. oryzophilus weevils diverges evidently from those in native weevils. After treatments with tetracycline, parthenogenetic weevils reduced the fecundity significantly and eggs were not viable. Our results suggest that Wolbachia are necessary for oocyte production in L oryzophilus.