First Report on Secondary Endosymbiont Bacteria of Pomegranate Aphid Aphis punicae Passerini, 1863 (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Abstract

The pomegranate aphid, Aphis punicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an important pest affecting pomegranate trees in various regions. Although its ecological impact is well documented, no previous studies have been conducted on its association with secondary bacterial endosymbionts. The study is the first report on the distribution and presence of four important secondary endosymbionts, Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, Rickettsia and Hamiltonella defensa, in field populations of A. punicae collected from Antalya, Turkey. Using species-specific primers and a descriptive Touchdown PCR protocol, endosymbiont infection was detected in all sampled individuals (n = 50) individually. Arsenophonus was the most common (74%), while Wolbachia was the least common (52%) endosymbiont. No aphid individual was infected with Wolbachia or Rickettsia alone; most individuals hosted co-infections and multiple infections. Our results suggest complex infection patterns with implications for aphid fitness, resistance and potential biological control strategies. These results will contribute to the figuring out of the microbial ecology of A. punicae and provide a foundation for future research into symbiont-mediated pest control.

Keywords

• Aphis punicae
• Arsenophonus
• Hamiltonella
• Rickettsia
• Wolbachia

Nar Afidi Aphis punicae Passerini, 1863 (Hemiptera: Aphididae)’nın Sekonder Endosimbiyont Bakterileri Üzerine İlk Rapor

Öz

Nar yaprakbiti, Aphis punicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), çeşitli bölgelerdeki nar ağaçlarını etkileyen önemli bir zararlıdır. Ekolojik etkisi iyi belgelenmiş olmasına rağmen, daha önce ikincil bakteriyel endosimbiyontlarla ilişkisi hakkında hiçbir çalışma yapılmamıştır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye, Antalya'dan toplanan A. punicae popülasyonlarında dört önemli ikincil endosimbiyont olan Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, Rickettsia ve Hamiltonella defensa'nın varlığını ve dağılımını bildiren ilk çalışmadır. Türlere özgü primerler ve tanımlayıcı bir Touchdown PCR protokolü kullanılarak, endosimbiyont enfeksiyonu örneklenen tüm bireylerde (n = 50) ayrı ayrı tespit edilmiştir. Arsenophonus en yaygın (%74), Wolbachia ise en az yaygın (%52) endosimbiyont olmuştur. Hiçbir yaprakbiti bireyi yalnızca Wolbachia veya Rickettsia ile enfekteli olmazken; çoğu birey ikili veya çoklu enfeksiyonlara konukçuluk yapmıştır. Sonuçlarımız, yaprakbitinin konukçuya uyumu, direnci ve potansiyel biyolojik mücadele stratejileri için çıkarımları olan karmaşık enfeksiyon örüntüleri olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu bulgular, A. punicae'nin mikrobiyal ekolojisinin anlaşılmasına katkıda bulunarak simbiyont aracılı zararlı mücadelesi konusunda gelecekte yapılacak araştırmalar için bir temel oluşturacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Aphis punicae
• Arsenophonus
• Hamiltonella
• Rickettsia
• Wolbachia

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