Bacterial-symbionts
Guides
Amblyomma cajennense
Cayenne tick
Amblyomma cajennense, commonly known as the Cayenne tick, is a hard tick species historically considered to range from the southern United States through Central America and the Caribbean to northern Argentina. Molecular studies have revealed this 'species' is actually a complex of multiple cryptic species, with A. cajennense sensu stricto now restricted to the Amazonian region of South America. The species complex is of significant medical and veterinary importance as a vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other rickettsial diseases.
Blattella vaga
Field Cockroach
Blattella vaga, the field cockroach, is a small outdoor-dwelling cockroach in the family Ectobiidae. First described from Arizona and California in 1935, it has since been recorded across North America and introduced to parts of Europe, Asia, and Australia. It resembles the German cockroach (Blattella germanica) but is not a significant indoor pest, typically entering buildings only during hot or dry conditions. The species harbors bacterial gut symbionts with demonstrated antimicrobial properties.
Camponotus fragilis
Camponotus fragilis is a carpenter ant species endemic to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. First described by Theodore Pergande in 1893, it was synonymized and later revived by Roy Snelling in 2006. The species has been studied for its gut bacterial communities, which show compartmentalization across different gut sections and variation between laboratory-raised and field-collected colonies.
Micromalthidae
Telephone-pole Beetles
Micromalthidae is an ancient, relictual family of beetles in the suborder Archostemata, represented today by a single extant species, Micromalthus debilis. The family has a fossil record extending to the Late Permian (approximately 260 million years ago), making it one of the oldest surviving beetle lineages. Members are characterized by highly unusual reproductive biology, including paedogenesis (reproduction by larvae) and parthenogenesis. The family shows extreme morphological reduction in adults, particularly males, with larvae serving as the primary feeding and persistent life stage.
Myrmeleon mobilis
Myrmeleon mobilis is a pit-making antlion species in the family Myrmeleontidae. The larva constructs conical pits in sandy substrate to trap small ground-dwelling arthropods, using a unique discontinuous gut physiology where solid waste is retained until adulthood. A 2005 microbiological study identified its bacterial associates as primarily Proteobacteria, including Wolbachia-like organisms in non-gut tissues and Enterobacteriaceae-like bacteria in the gut. The species is recorded from North America.
Tetanops myopaeformis
sugar beet root maggot, sugarbeet root maggot
Tetanops myopaeformis is a picture-winged fly (family Ulidiidae) and the most economically significant pest of sugar beet in North America. Larvae feed on sugar beet roots, causing yield losses up to 100% in affected fields. The species overwinters as freeze-tolerant third-instar larvae in soil, with some individuals exhibiting prolonged diapause lasting multiple years. It is native to North America, though its original host plant remains unidentified; sugar beet, introduced to the continent, became its primary agricultural host.