Shared Ancestry of Symbionts? Sagrinae and Donaciinae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) Harbor Similar Bacteria

Abstract

When symbioses between insects and bacteria are discussed, the origin of a given association is regularly of interest. We examined the evolution of the symbiosis between reed beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Donaciinae) and intracellular symbionts belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae. We analyzed the partial sequence of the 16S rRNA to assess the phylogenetic relationships with bacteria we found in other beetle groups (Cerambycidae, Anobiidae, other Chrysomelidae). We discuss the ecology of each association in the context of the phylogenetic analysis. The bacteria in Sagra femorata (Chrysomelidae, Sagrinae) are very closely related to those in the Donaciinae and are located in similar mycetomes. The Sagrinae build a cocoon for pupation like the Donaciinae, in which the bacteria produce the material required for the cocoon. These aspects support the close relationship between Sagrinae and Donaciinae derived in earlier studies and make a common ancestry of the symbioses likely. Using PCR primers specific for fungi, we found Candida sp. in the mycetomes of a cerambycid beetle along with the bacteria.

Novel bacteriocyte-associated pleomorphic symbiont of the grain pest beetle Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)

“…We found that the symbiont gene exhibits remarkably AT-biased nucleotide composition and significantly accelerated molecular evolution, which are suggestive of degenerative evolution of the symbiont genome. A morphologically similar bacterial symbiont was also reported from a chrysomelid leaf beetle [ 69 ], but that symbiont was recently shown to be a member of the γ-Proteobacteria [ 70 , 71 ], suggesting that these rosette-shaped bacterial symbionts have independent evolutionary origins. The rosette-shaped symbiont of the leaf beetle also exhibited a remarkably AT-biased nucleotide composition and a significantly accelerated rate of molecular evolution [ 71 ].…”

“…The similarity of the peculiar symbiont morphology, despite the phylogenetically distant insect hosts, raises the question of whether the rosette-shaped symbiotic bacteria of bostrichid beetles are phylogenetically related to those of the chrysomelid beetle [ 1 ]. Recently, molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that the symbiont of B. obscurus is a member of the class γ-Proteobacteria [ 70 , 71 ]. We show in the present study that the symbiont of R. dominica belongs to the Bacteroidetes, which is phylogenetically distant from the γ-Proteobacteria (see Fig.…”

Co‐option of microbial associates by insects and their impact on plant–folivore interactions

“…Other studies in leaf beetles have shown a phylogenetic linkage between the host and foregut‐inhabiting, extracellular symbionts (Fukumori, Koga, Nikoh, & Fukatsu, ; Kölsch & Pedersen, ). Specifically, evidence for cospeciation has been found in the chrysomelid subfamilies Cassidinae, Eumolpinae, Sagrinae, and Donaciinae (Fukumori et al, ; Kölsch & Synefiaridou, ; Salem et al, ). Whether a symbiosis similar to Stammera is present in all subfamilies or beetle lineages remains unclear.…”

A Novel, Extremely Elongated, and Endocellular Bacterial Symbiont Supports Cuticle Formation of a Grain Pest Beetle

“…As for weevils, an ancient gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont clade, Nardonella spp., found in diverse weevils ( 24 , 25 ), a gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont, Sodalis pierantonius , that presumably replaced the original Nardonella endosymbiont in the lineage of grain weevils of the genus Sitophilus ( 26 , 27 ), and another gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont, Curculioniphilus buchneri , that also replaced the original Nardonella endosymbiont in the lineage of acorn weevils of the genus Curculio and allied species ( 28 – 30 ), have been described. As for leaf beetles, a gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont clade, Macropleicola spp., associated with reed beetles of the subfamily Donaciinae ( 31 – 33 ), and several other gammaproteobacterial endosymbionts ( 34 , 35 ) have been reported.…”