Cophylogenetic analysis suggests cospeciation between the Scorpion Mycoplasma Clade symbionts and their hosts

Abstract

Scorpions are predator arachnids of ancient origin and worldwide distribution. Two scorpion species, Vaejovis smithi and Centruroides limpidus, were found to harbor two different Mollicutes phylotypes: a Scorpion Mycoplasma Clade (SMC) and Scorpion Group 1 (SG1). Here we investigated, using a targeted gene sequencing strategy, whether these Mollicutes were present in 23 scorpion morphospecies belonging to the Vaejovidae, Carboctonidae, Euscorpiidae, Diplocentridae, and Buthidae families. Our results revealed that SMC is found in a species-specific association with Vaejovidae and Buthidae, whereas SG1 is uniquely found in Vaejovidae. SMC and SG1 co-occur only in Vaejovis smithi where 43% of the individuals host both phylotypes. A phylogenetic analysis of Mollicutes 16S rRNA showed that SMC and SG1 constitute well-delineated phylotypes. Additionally, we found that SMC and scorpion phylogenies are significantly congruent, supporting the observation that a cospeciation process may have occurred. This study highlights the phylogenetic diversity of the scorpion associated Mollicutes through different species revealing a possible cospeciation pattern.

Microbiomes and Specific Symbionts of Social Spiders: Compositional Patterns in Host Species, Populations, and Nests

“…Based on this phylogenetic information, a discriminant phenotype (spirochete morphology and inhabitant of the spider midgut including the diverticular tissue; Figure 6E), and its high prevalence in all three social Stegodyphus species (Figures 3, 4), we propose ASV_3 to represent a novel species within a novel genus, with the tentative name Candidatus Arachnospira stegodyphi (GenBank accession number for the full length 16S rRNA sequence: MH627299). Finally, ASV_4 groups with ASV_26 and a >99% identical sequence from the African sub-social spider Stegodyphus tentoriicola as a novel, presumably Stegodyphus-specific sister genus to the recently described Scorpion Mycoplasma Clade (Bolaños et al, 2019). These two clusters may delineate arachnid-specific evolutionary lineages of Mycoplasma, a typically host-associated bacterial group without cell wall and often intracellular infections (Brown et al, 2015); in the spider gut, they lined the gut epithelium and could either be located extracellularly or inside the apical border of the epithelium cells ( Figure 6F).…”

Cuticular hydrocarbons as potential mediators of cryptic species divergence in a mutualistic ant association

“…Although strict cospeciation seems rather rare (de Vienne et al, 2013), in mutualisms it was described repeatedly, for example, between arthropods and their endosymbionts (Bolaños et al, 2019;Degnan, Lazarus, Brock, & Wernegreen, 2004;Hosokawa, Kikuchi, Nikoh, Shimada, & Fukatsu, 2006), in specialized ant-plant mutualisms (Chomicki, Ward, & Renner, 2015), and fig-pollinating wasps and figs (Cruaud et al, 2012;Jousselin et al, 2008). Alternatively, species diversification in mutualisms can also be facilitated by partner switches like in pollination mutualisms (Janz, Nyblom, & Nylin, 2001;Kawakita, Takimura, Terachi, Sota, & Kato, 2004) or ant-plant associations (Quek, Davies, Itino, & Pierce, 2004).…”

Host phylogeny, habitat, and diet are main drivers of the cephalopod and mollusk gut microbiome

“…A metagenome-assembled genome study of gut microbial Mycoplasma in salmonoids revealed that the intestinal commensal Mycoplasma actively metabolizes using ammonia [ 38 ]. However, little is known about their role in invertebrate microbiomes, other than a study reporting a potential symbiotic relationship in scorpions [ 43 ]. We suspect that cephalopods may also have symbiotic relationships with gut Mycoplasma through ammonia metabolism, as in the case of salmonoids, because cephalopods are both carnivorous and ammonotelic.…”