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.
Highlights
Many animals possess symbiotic bacteria of mutualistic nature [1]
Scorpion Mycoplasma clade (SMC) bacteria frequently present in Vaejovidae and Buthidae species, Scorpion Group 1 (SG1) constrained to Vaejovidae
Thirty-nine scorpions belonging to five families, seven genera and 23 morphospecies were sampled and evaluated by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the presence of the recently discovered Mollicutes Scorpion Mycoplasma Clade (SMC) and SG1 (Table 1), using specific primers
Summary
Many animals possess symbiotic bacteria of mutualistic nature [1]. They have different physiological roles in their hosts, including nutrient uptake and synthesis [2,3] and participate in digestion [4], reproduction [5,6], immune system maturation [7], toxin degradation [8,9], toxin production for prey killing [10], and suppression of other symbionts [11]. Bacterial symbionts offer protection against natural enemies such as pathogenic fungi [12,13], viruses [14], predators [15], parasitoids [16–18], and parasitic nematodes [19]. Sciences UNAM and received a fellowship (number 580519) from CONACYT. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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