A pioneering attempt to unveil the gut microbiome of brinjal mealybug, Coccidohystrix insolita Green (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) using metagenomic approach

Abstract

Abstract The mealybug Coccidohystrix insolita Green, a native of the Indian subcontinent, is a polyphagous pest causing severe economic damage to vegetable crops. Mealybugs often developed a close association with the endosymbiont biota which plays a vital role in determining the physiology and feeding behavior of these noxious pests. The present study is the pioneer attempt to unveil the gut endosymbionts of the mealybug C. insolita through 16sr-DNA sequencing. The study revealed a total of 15 phyla of endosymbionts, of which Proteobacteria was the predominant one followed by Euryarchaeota, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes etc. The dominant class, order, family, and genus of endosymbionts were recorded as Gammaproteobacteria, Pseudomonadales, Pseudomonadaceae and Pseudomonas respectively. The most abundant endosymbiotic species in C. insolita was recorded as Pseudomonas alcaligenes. These findings on endosymbiont diversity of mealybug aid in a better understanding of the species interactions in the ecosystem and thus aid in devising a better pest management strategy.