Insect Orders Research Articles

Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XXVI: Taxonomic review of Cladomorformia tax. n., a lineage of Diapheromerinae stick insects, with the descriptions of seven new genera and 41 new species (Phasmatodea: Occidophasmata: Diapheromerinae)

Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XXVI: Taxonomic review of Cladomorformia tax. n., a lineage of Diapheromerinae stick insects, with the descriptions of seven new genera and 41 new species (Phasmatodea: Occidophasmata: Diapheromerinae)

Arthropod Diversity of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Ebonyi Waste to Wealth Company Abakaliki Ebonyi State, Nigeria

The study was designed to determine the diversity of arthropods in Ebonyi State waste to wealth Abakaliki, a municipal waste site (MWS) in Abakaliki where solid wastes of all sorts are deposited. The arthropod specimens were analysed using standard entomological technique of sweep net, pitfall traps and malaise trap respectively. Arthropod species identification was done morphologically at insect Museum Ahmed Bello University in Zaria. A total of 2000 arthropod specimens were collected comprising 8 orders, 18 families and 28 species. The most abundant species in diversity is Bengalia gallard 208 (10.4) followed by Musca domestica 205(10.2). Out of the 2000 individual species of arthropods collected from MSW dump site in Abakaliki, Diptera (48.30) and Hymenoptera (39.12) were the most prevalent while Dermaptera were the least in abundance. Four insect species were heterometabolic including medically important species, Blattela sp. (Blattodea). Insect Order Diversity in Respect to traps used for collection showed that pitfall trap with the total of 854 insects recorded the highest and Hymenoptera (43.2) recording the highest frequency. Shannon Weiner's Diversity Index of Insect Orders revealed that Diptera (0.48) had the highest diversity. Determination of the arthropod diversity in MSW will help in the control of possible vector borne disease epidemics especially in areas where there is no awareness of disease to its vector transmission.

The Bezzi Diptera collection at the Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano: a list of the named genera and species, with their present status

Mario Bezzi’s collection of Diptera is probably the most important dedicated to this order of insects preserved in Italy and, in a scientific-historical view, one of the most important in the world. The aim of this work is to provide a complete list of the genera and species originally used by Bezzi and readable on the collection labels handwritten by Bezzi himself. A brief description of the collection and the methods used to acquire and check the names is given. The results obtained are discussed. Finally, a complete checklist of the taxonomic names found, and their current status is provided.

Wappleria tremoris gen. et sp. nov. the first representative of the insect order Caloneurodea in Spain (León, NW Spain) found in a Late Carboniferous forest

ABSTRACT We present a new genus and species of Caloneurodea from the Gzhelian (Stephanian B) of El Bierzo coalfield, in NW Iberian Peninsula (León, Spain) belonging to an uncertain family. Wappleria tremoris gen. et sp. nov. is described on the basis of a new specimen found in the Stephanian B strata of Casilda Mine, of Gzhelian age (Late Pennsylvanian, Late Carboniferous). The extinct order Caloneurodea (superorder Archaeorthoptera) is really scarce worldwide, it was previously found in the Carboniferous and Permian of Europe, North America, and Asia. This new specimen represents the first evidence of the order Caloneurodea from Spain, and the second record from the Iberian Peninsula, filling a gap in the Carboniferous palaeogeographical puzzle of this species in Europe. Little is known about the ecology and general biology of Caloneurodea. Nevertheless, Wappleria tremoris gen. et sp. nov. was found in close association with a rich palaeobotanical assemblage, dominated by pteridophytes, pteridospermatophytes, and gymnosperms, suggesting that W. tremoris could show a preference for forests under humid conditions.

Bioactivity of Plant Nanoemulsions against Stored-Product Insects (Order Coleoptera): A Review1

Abstract As the risks arising from the use of chemical pesticides increase, researchers are continuously exploring alternatives that are safer for humans and the environment. Among these alternatives is the use of plant extracts; however, plant extracts have various disadvantages, including the instability of their compounds that evaporate with time, thereby reducing their effectiveness. With the development of nanotechnology and its applications, researchers are focused on testing the performance of plant-based nanocomposites for eliminating pests. Numerous issues with agricultural and insect pest control can be addressed by using nanotechnology, including increasing the physical stability, water dispersion, and bioavailability of oil emulsions and coating the desired surface area with small oil droplets. Thus, issues with essential oil application, such as volatility, low water solubility, and oxidation, can be resolved by using nanoformulations. These nanoformulations progressively release active ingredients on site, reducing the toxicity for nontarget species and demonstrating their potential as substitutes for synthetic pesticides in the management of stored-grain pests. Research on nanoemulsions from plant sources and their role in controlling stored-product coleopteran insects was reviewed with emphasis on articles from 2014 through 2023. This review compiles important data for this field of research, providing information for design of future studies.

Phylogenomic analysis of Stylops reveals the evolutionary history of a Holarctic Strepsiptera radiation parasitizing wild bees

Holarctic Stylops is the largest genus of the enigmatic insect order Strepsiptera, twisted winged parasites. Members of Stylops are obligate endoparasites of Andrena mining bees and exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism typical of Strepsiptera. So far, molecular studies on Stylops have focused on questions on species delimitation. Here, we utilize the power of whole genome sequencing to infer the phylogeny of this morphologically challenging genus from thousands of loci. We use a species tree method, concatenated maximum likelihood analysis and Bayesian analysis with a relaxed clock model to reconstruct the phylogeny of 46 Stylops species, estimate divergence times, evaluate topological consistency across methods and infer the root position. Furthermore, the biogeographical history and coevolutionary patterns with host species are assessed. All methods recovered a well resolved topology with close to all nodes maximally supported and only a handful of minor topological variations. Based on the result, we find that included species can be divided into 12 species groups, seven of them including only Palaearctic species, three Nearctic and two were geographically mixed. We find a strongly supported root position between a clade formed by the spreta, thwaitesi and gwynanae species groups and the remaining species and that the sister group of Stylops is Eurystylops or Eurystylops + Kinzelbachus. Our results indicate that Stylops originated in the Western Palaearctic or Western Palaearctic and Nearctic in the early Neogene or late Paleogene, with four independent dispersal events to the Nearctic. Cophylogenetic analyses indicate that the diversification of Stylops has been shaped by both significant coevolution with the mining bee hosts and host-shifting. The well resolved and strongly supported phylogeny will provide a valuable phylogenetic basis for further studies into the fascinating world of Strepsipterans.

In silico identification and expression analyses of peroxidases in Tenebrio molitor.

Human advancements in agriculture, urbanization, and industrialization have led to various forms of environmental pollution, including heavy metal pollution. Insects, as highly adaptable organisms, can survive under various environmental stresses, which induce oxidative damage and impair antioxidant systems. To investigate the peroxidase (POX) family in Tenebrio molitor, we characterized two POXs, namely TmPOX-iso1 and TmPOX-iso2. The full-length cDNA sequences of TmPox-iso1 and TmPox-iso2 respectively consisted of an open reading frame of 1815 bp encoding 605 amino acids and an open reading frame of 2229 bp encoding 743 amino acids. TmPOX-iso1 and TmPOX-iso2 homologs were found in five distinct insect orders. In the phylogenetic tree analysis, TmPOX-iso1 was clustered with the predicted POX protein of T. castaneum, and TmPOX-iso2 was clustered with the POX precursor protein of T. castaneum. During development, the highest expression level of TmPox-iso1 was observed in the pre-pupal stage, while that of TmPox-iso2 expression were observed in the pre-pupal and 4-day pupal stages. TmPox-iso1 was primarily expressed in the early and late larval gut, while TmPox-iso2 mRNA expression was higher in the fat bodies and Malpighian tubules. In response to cadmium chloride treatment, TmPox-iso1 expression increased at 3 hours and then declined until 24 hours, while in the zinc chloride-treated group, TmPox-iso1 expression peaked 24 hours after the treatment. Both treated groups showed increases in TmPox-iso2 expression 24 hours after the treatments.

Enzyme production by the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae and their application in the control of nematodes (Haemonchus spp. and Meloidogyne incognita) in vitro

Brazil is affected by the infection of gastrointestinal nematodes (Haemonchus spp.) because it causes subclinical diseases in small ruminants that directly affect weight and milk production and, in turn, generate a health risk for the animals. In the same way root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) is a serious disease, which parasitize the roots of tomato plants causing damage such as poor nutrient absorption leading to significant yield losses. In order to minimize the economic impact of these nematodes, it is important to establish new control strategies. Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae are two main mycoinsecticides used to control many orders of insects, such as Lepidoptera and Hemiptera. These fungi have the ability to produce extracellular enzymes, which play an important role to control in the pest infection process. The aim of this study was to evaluate the production of proteases and chitinases by the entomopathogenic fungi B. bassiana and M. anisopliae on different solid and liquid culture media and their application in vitro to the control of Haemonchus spp and Meloidogyne incognita. To achieve this goal, enzymes were produced under solid and liquid fermentation conditions to determine the highest chitinolytic and proteolytic activity of commercial two strain of B. bassiana (IBCB 66 and ESALQ PL63) and M. anisopliae (IBCB 425 and ESALQ E9) in liquid media: SDY broth, YPG culture medium, synthetic, and soluble starch with yeast extract. The solid media tested were: rice supplemented with whey and chrysalis flour mixed with rice. In addition, the nematicidal action of their extracts (containing concentrated enzymes and without fungal cells) was measured. The results showed that the best culture medium (p< 0.01) for protease was solid serum rice medium, with a value for M. anisopliae IBCB 425 of 52 U/mg, and for B. bassiana ESALQ PL63 the value was 36 U/mg, compared to all the tested media. On the other hand, for chitinase of M. anisopliae strain IBCB 425, the activity value was close to 0.60 U/mg. In contrast, for B. bassiana isolate ESALQ PL63, SDY medium was the best inducer for chitinase production, with a value of 0.90 U/mg. Regarding the nematicidal activity of the crude extracts, the reduction percentages were 58% for ESALQ PL63 and 100% for IBCB 425 in the case of animal parasites. For plant parasites, the reduction percentages were 19% for ESALQ PL63 and 71% for IBCB 425. Thus, the use of enzyme-rich crude extracts presents promising control options for pest control.

Chewing through challenges: Exploring the evolutionary pathways to wood-feeding in insects.

Decaying wood, while an abundant and stable resource, presents considerable nutritional challenges due to its structural rigidity, chemical recalcitrance, and low nitrogen content. Despite these challenges, certain insect lineages have successfully evolved saproxylophagy (consuming and deriving sustenance from decaying wood), impacting nutrient recycling in ecosystems and carbon sequestration dynamics. This studyexplores the uneven phylogenetic distribution of saproxylophagy across insects and delves into the evolutionary origins of this trait in disparate insect orders. Employing a comprehensive analysis of gut microbiome data, from both saproxylophagous insects and their non-saproxylophagous relatives, including new data from unexplored wood-feeding insects, this Hypothesis paper discusses the broader phylogenetic context and potential adaptations necessary for this dietary specialization. The study proposes the "Detritivore-First Hypothesis," suggesting an evolutionary pathway to saproxylophagy through detritivory, and highlights the critical role of symbiotic gut microbiomes in the digestion of decaying wood.

New faunistic data on Diptera (Hexapoda, Insecta) from the Ziarat Juniperus forest ecosystem (Pakistan).

This study presents the first faunistic record and DNA barcoding for some Diptera species recorded from the Juniperus forest ecosystem of Balochistan, Pakistan. DNA barcoding was used to explore species diversity of Dipterans and collections carried out using a Malaise trap between December 2018 to December 2019. This process involved sequencing the 658 bp Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene. Amongst the collected Diptera specimens, nine families were identified, representing 13 genera. These species include Atherigonasoccata (Rondani, 1871), Atherigonavaria (Schiner, 1868), Chironomusdorsalis (Meigen, 1818), Eupeodescorollae (Linnaeus, 1758), Eristalistenax (Linnaeus,1758), Goniaornata (Meigen, 1826), Luciliasericata (Meigen, 1826), Paragusquadrifasciatus (Linnaeus, 1758), Polleniarudis (Fabricius, 1794), Raviniapernix (Thompson, 1869), Sarcophagadux (Thompson, 1869), Trupaneaamoena (Schiner, 1868) and Wohlfahrtiabella (Linnaeus, 1758). The families Syrphidae and Sarcophagidae exhibited the highest representation, each comprising three genera and three species. They were followed by the family Muscidae, which had a single genus and two species. Anthomyiidae, Chironomidae, Calliphoridae, Polleniidae, Tachinidae and Tephritidae were represented by only one genus and one species. A nique Barcode Index Number (BIN) was allotted to Tachinidae (specie i.e Goniaornata). The results indicated that barcoding through cytochrome oxidase I is an effective approach for the accurate identification and genetic studies of Diptera species. This discovery highlights the significant diversity of this insect order in study region. Furthermore, a comprehensive list of other Diptera species remains elusive because of difficulties in distinguishing them, based on morphology and a lack of professional entomological knowledge.

GC Content Across Insect Genomes: Phylogenetic Patterns, Causes and Consequences

The proportions of A:T and G:C nucleotide pairs are often unequal and can vary greatly between animal species and along chromosomes. The causes and consequences of this variation are incompletely understood. The recent release of high-quality genome sequences from the Darwin Tree of Life and other large-scale genome projects provides an opportunity for GC heterogeneity to be compared across a large number of insect species. Here we analyse GC content along chromosomes, and within protein-coding genes and codons, of 150 insect species from four holometabolous orders: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera. We find that protein-coding sequences have higher GC content than the genome average, and that Lepidoptera generally have higher GC content than the other three insect orders examined. GC content is higher in small chromosomes in most Lepidoptera species, but this pattern is less consistent in other orders. GC content also increases towards subtelomeric regions within protein-coding genes in Diptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. Two species of Diptera, Bombylius major and B. discolor, have very atypical genomes with ubiquitous increase in AT content, especially at third codon positions. Despite dramatic AT-biased codon usage, we find no evidence that this has driven divergent protein evolution. We argue that the GC landscape of Lepidoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera genomes is influenced by GC-biased gene conversion, strongest in Lepidoptera, with some outlier taxa affected drastically by counteracting processes.

The first A-to-I RNA editome of hemipteran species Coridius chinensis reveals overrepresented recoding and prevalent intron editing in early-diverging insects

BackgroundMetazoan adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing resembles A-to-G mutation and increases proteomic diversity in a temporal-spatial manner, allowing organisms adapting to changeable environment. The RNA editomes in many major animal clades remain unexplored, hampering the understanding on the evolution and adaptation of this essential post-transcriptional modification.MethodsWe assembled the chromosome-level genome of Coridius chinensis belonging to Hemiptera, the fifth largest insect order where RNA editing has not been studied yet. We generated ten head RNA-Seq libraries with DNA-Seq from the matched individuals.ResultsWe identified thousands of high-confidence RNA editing sites in C. chinensis. Overrepresentation of nonsynonymous editing was observed, but conserved recoding across different orders was very rare. Under cold stress, the global editing efficiency was down-regulated and the general transcriptional processes were shut down. Nevertheless, we found an interesting site with “conserved editing but non-conserved recoding” in potassium channel Shab which was significantly up-regulated in cold, serving as a candidate functional site in response to temperature stress.ConclusionsRNA editing in C. chinensis largely recodes the proteome. The first RNA editome in Hemiptera indicates independent origin of beneficial recoding during insect evolution, which advances our understanding on the evolution, conservation, and adaptation of RNA editing.

Symbiotic Bacterial Communities of Insects Feeding on the Same Plant Lineage: Distinct Composition but Congruent Function.

The health and diversity of plant-feeding insects are strictly linked to their host plants and mutualistic symbionts. However, the study of bacterial symbionts within different insects on the same plant lineage is very limited. This study aimed to investigate the bacterial diversity in insect samples that exclusively feed on Bambusa, representing three insect orders, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, and Blattodea, each exhibiting distinct dietary preferences. The bacterial community was predominantly composed of Proteobacteria, Spirochaetota, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidota. The study found significant variations in symbiotic organisms among three insect orders: hemipterans had Buchnera, lepidopterans had Acinetobacter, and blattodean had Treponema. Furthermore, the dietary preferences of these insects played a pivotal role in shaping the symbiotic relationship of insects. Proteobacteria are prevalent in sap feeders, Spirochaetota dominate in stem feeders, and Cyanobacteria are abundant in leaf feeders. Seasonal influences also affect bacterial symbionts in P. bambucicola, with Serratia present exclusively in winter. We also observed that the bacterial composition varies across all samples, but their core functions appear to be consistent. This highlights the complex relationship between host phylogeny and diet, with phylogeny being the primary driver, shaping adaptations to specialized diets.

A novel class of insecticidal alkylsulfones are potent inhibitors of vesicular acetylcholine transport

Pyridine alkylsulfone derivatives typified by oxazosulfyl (Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd.) and compound A2 (Syngenta) represent a new class of insecticides, with potent activity against several insect orders. Whilst the MOA of this class has been attributed to interaction with the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC), here we present strong evidence that their toxicity to insects is mediated primarily through inhibition of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT). Alkylsulfone intoxication in insects is characterised by (i) a reduction in cholinergic synaptic transmission efficiency demonstrated by a depression of cercal afferent activity in giant-interneurone preparations of American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), (ii) selective block of cholinergic-transmission dependent post-synaptic potentials in the Drosophila giant-fibre pathway and (iii) abolition of miniature excitatory post-synaptic currents (mEPSCs) in an identified synapse in Drosophila larvae.Ligand-binding studies using a tritiated example compound ([3H]-A1) revealed a single saturable binding-site, with low nanomolar Kd value, in membrane fractions of green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata). Binding is inhibited by vesamicol and by several examples of a previously identified class of insecticidal compounds known to target VAChT, the spiroindolines. Displacement of this binding by analogues of the radioligand reveals a strong correlation with insecticidal potency. No specific binding was detected in untransformed PC12 cells but a PC12 line stably expressing Drosophila VAChT showed similar affinity for [3H]-A1 as that seen in fly head membrane preparations. Previously identified VAChT point mutations confer resistance to the spiroindoline class of insecticides in Drosophila by Gal-4/UAS directed expression in cholinergic neurones and by CRISPR gene-editing of VAChT, but none of these flies show detectable cross-resistance to this new chemical class.Oxazosulfyl was previously shown to stabilise voltage-gated sodium channels in their slow-inactivated conformation with an IC50 value of 12.3μM but inhibits binding of [3H]-A1 with approximately 5000 times greater potency. We believe this chemistry class represents a novel mode-of-action with high potential for invertebrate selectivity.

Lepidopteran scales in lake sediments as a reliable proxy for spruce budworm outbreak events in the boreal forest of Eastern Canada

Characterizing disturbance regimes over long time scales is paramount for describing and identifying their variability. The most important biotic disturbance in the eastern Canadian boreal forest is the defoliation caused by the eastern spruce budworm, a moth of the insect order Lepidoptera. Lepidopteran scales have recently been used to reconstruct spruce budworm population fluctuations throughout the Holocene. However, this novel proxy has yet to be compared to an independent proxy. This study aimed to determine whether lepidopteran scales found in the surface sediments of boreal lakes tracked large spruce budworm populations, that is, outbreaks, using yearly aerial surveys (1967–present) of spruce budworm defoliation as an independent proxy. Scales were extracted (1 cm resolution) from the top 20 cm of 210Pb-dated sediment cores recovered from nine lakes. To identify significant abundance peaks of scales in the time series, we removed background noise using a modified version of CharAnalysis. A 100-year smoothing window width combined with a 60th percentile threshold yielded the highest true positive and true negative occurrences, and the lowest false positive and false negative occurrences, with values of 0.69 and 0.70 for Cohen’s Kappa and Matthews correlation coefficient, respectively. Our findings demonstrate that lepidopteran scales are a suitable proxy for identifying spruce budworm outbreaks in the sediment record enabling the reconstruction of budworm and other lepidopteran species outbreak dynamics at millennial timescales.

Biotic resistance towards Hydrellia egeriae, a biological control agent for the aquatic weed Egeria densa, in South Africa

Egeria densa is a submerged aquatic weed that can grow into dense monocultures in rivers and dams in South Africa, which negatively affects ecosystem functioning and services. The biological control agent Hydrellia egeriae Rodrigues-Júnior (Diptera: Ephydridae) was first released against Egeria densa Planchon (Hydrocharitaceae) in South Africa in 2018. Biotic resistance in an introduced range can have negative impacts on the ability of a biological control agent to establish and exert top-down pressure. Dipteran and lepidopteran species that are used as biological control agents are often susceptible to higher levels of parasitism in their introduced range than biological control agents from other insect orders. In addition, ecological analogues that are present in South Africa, make H. egeriae particularly vulnerable to biotic resistance. Considering this, post-release surveys were conducted to investigate if native parasitoids will extend their host range to include H. egeriae. Chaenusa seminervata van Achterberg, C. anervata van Achterberg (Braconidae: Alysiinae: Dacnusini) and Ademon lagarosiphonae van Achterberg (Braconidae: Opiinae) were reared from field-collected H. egeriae pupae, within a year of its release. These braconid parasitoids were previously recorded from a native herbivore, Hydrellia lagarosiphon Deeming (Diptera: Ephydridae). Parasitism levels of H. egeriae ranged from 50 to 74% in cold months and 0 to 60% in warmer months, with higher levels of parasitism at a site where H. lagarosiphon naturally occurs. This study also found that cumulative release events of the biological control agent increase the probability of parasitism of field populations, by directly increasing the host pool. However, biological control efficacy can potentially be increased by limiting release efforts to a maximum of two release events per site per season, with particular focus on releasing in warm (i.e. spring/summer) months. Continued post-release surveys are necessary to not only monitor H. egeriae’s impact on E. densa, but also to obtain a better understanding of seasonal parasitism levels across E. densa-invaded sites in South Africa.

A winged relative of ice-crawlers in amber bridges the cryptic extant Xenonomia and a rich fossil record.

Until the advent of phylogenomics, the atypical morphology of extant representatives of the insect orders Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) and Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) had confounding effects on efforts to resolve their placement within Polyneoptera. This recent research has unequivocally shown that these species-poor groups are closely related and form the clade Xenonomia. Nonetheless, divergence dates of these groups remain poorly constrained, and their evolutionary history debated, as the few well-identified fossils, characterized by a suite of morphological features similar to that of extant forms, are comparatively young. Notably, the extant forms of both groups are wingless, whereas most of the pre-Cretaceous insect fossil record is composed of winged insects, which represents a major shortcoming of the taxonomy. Here, we present new specimens embedded in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar and belonging to the recently described species Aristovia daniili. The abundant material and pristine preservation allowed a detailed documentation of the morphology of the species, including critical head features. Combined with a morphological data set encompassing all Polyneoptera, these new data unequivocally demonstrate that A.daniili is a winged stem Grylloblattodea. This discovery demonstrates that winglessness was acquired independently in Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea. Concurrently, wing apomorphic traits shared by the new fossil and earlier fossils demonstrate that a large subset of the former "Protorthoptera" assemblage, representing a third of all known insect species in some Permian localities, are genuine representatives of Xenonomia. Data from the fossil record depict a distinctive evolutionary trajectory, with the group being both highly diverse and abundant during the Permian but experiencing a severe decline from the Triassic onwards.

New records of herbivory of Leucothyreus MacLeay, 1819 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Geniatini) on Cecropia Loefl. (Urticaceae)

Species in the genus Cecropia Loefl. (Urticaceae) are important food sources for a handful of species belonging to the insect orders Orthoptera (grasshoppers), Lepidoptera (caterpillars), Hymenoptera (leafcutter ants), and Coleoptera (beetles). Among the leaf chafer beetles, specimens of the scarab genus Leucothyreus MacLeay, 1819 (Scarabaeidae: Geniatini) have been barely recorded as defoliators of Cecropia spp., and information about the identity of the involved plant and beetle species is scarce and imprecise. The present paper records for the first time the incidence of two species of Leucothyreus on four species of Cecropia in Central Amazon (Brazil), with short behavioral notes regarding their feeding habits.

Actinomycetes associated with hymenopteran insects: a promising source of bioactive natural products.

In recent years, the insect microbiome has become the focus of many actinomycete researchers in their search for novel bioactive compounds with members of the order Hymenoptera at the forefront of the revolution. Hymenoptera encompasses all bees, wasps, ants, and sawflies and is the third largest insect order by species richness. Additionally, Hymenoptera is the most diverse insect order in terms of ecological roles, behaviors, and social systems, thus making it an ideal starting point in the search for symbiotic actinomycetes. The aim of this review is to summarize current knowledge on hymenopteran associations with actinomycetes including information on interactions between actinomycetes and hymenopterans, isolation, and screening methodologies, as well as novel actinomycete species and natural products discovered between early 2013 and 2023. A total of 19 new species were discovered within this time period, with the genus Streptomyces being represented by 11 species while the remaining 8 belonged to rare actinomycetes genera. In addition, 35 novel compounds were reported from hymenopteran-associated actinomycetes within the same time period with the majority originating from Streptomyces strains. The reported novel compounds exhibit a range of biological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, anti-enzymatic, and antiproliferative activity, as well as cytotoxicity.

Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis INTA 103-23 Reveals Its Insecticidal Properties: Insights from the Genomic Sequence

The genome of Bacillus thuringiensis strain INTA 103-23 was sequenced, revealing a high-quality draft assembly comprising 243 contigs with a total size of 6.30 Mb and a completeness of 99%. Phylogenetic analysis classified INTA 103-23 within the Bacillus cereus sensu stricto cluster. Genome annotation identified 6993 genes, including 2476 hypothetical proteins. Screening for pesticidal proteins unveiled 10 coding sequences with significant similarity to known pesticidal proteins, showcasing a potential efficacy against various insect orders. AntiSMASH analysis predicted 13 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), including clusters with 100% similarity to petrobactin and anabaenopeptin NZ857/nostamide A. Notably, fengycin exhibited a 40% similarity within the identified clusters. Further exploration involved a comparative genomic analysis with ten phylogenetically closest genomes. The ANI values, calculated using fastANI, confirmed the closest relationships with strains classified under Bacillus cereus sensu stricto. This comprehensive genomic analysis of B. thuringiensis INTA 103-23 provides valuable insights into its genetic makeup, potential pesticidal activity, and biosynthetic capabilities. The identified BGCs and pesticidal proteins contribute to our understanding of the strain’s biocontrol potential against diverse agricultural pests.