Bacterial-symbiosis
Guides
Anoecia corni
dogwood aphid, common dogwood-grass aphid, dogwood-grass aphid
Anoecia corni is a subterranean aphid species that alternates between dogwood trees and grass roots during its life cycle. Native to Europe, it has been introduced to North America. The species feeds primarily on xylem tissues and has been recorded as a pest of millets. It maintains associations with bacterial endosymbionts including the obligate symbiont Buchnera aphidicola and several facultative symbionts.
Cyclocephala lunulata
masked chafer
Cyclocephala lunulata is a rhinoceros beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, widely distributed across the Americas from the southwestern United States through Mexico and Central America to South America. Adults are attracted to volatile organic compounds produced by bacteria (VOCsB) isolated from their genital chambers, with both sexes responding to bacterial volatiles from Morganella morganii. The species is a documented agricultural pest of strawberry, guava, and ornamental pastures.
Donaciinae
Aquatic Leaf Beetles, Reed Beetles
Donaciinae is a subfamily of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) comprising approximately 100 species across six genera, including Donacia, Macroplea, and Plateumaris. Members are strongly associated with aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats, with larvae developing underwater attached to plant roots. The subfamily is characterized by distinctive morphological adaptations and an obligate symbiosis with bacteria that produce the silk-like material used to construct waterproof pupal cocoons. Donaciinae are primarily distributed in the Northern Hemisphere with extensions into Africa, Madagascar, and Australasia.
Megacopta
Megacopta is a genus of true bugs in the family Plataspidae, containing at least 25 described species distributed across Asia. The genus is best known for Megacopta cribraria, the kudzu bug, which became an invasive pest in North America after its accidental introduction to Georgia in 2009. Members of this genus are phytophagous, with many species associated with leguminous plants. Several Megacopta species possess obligate bacterial gut symbionts that are essential for normal development and are transmitted via symbiont capsules deposited on egg masses.
Pachypsylla
hackberry gall psyllids, hackberry psyllids
Pachypsylla is a genus of North American psyllids (jumping plant lice) in the family Aphalaridae. All known species are specialized gall-formers on hackberry trees (Celtis spp.), with each species producing a distinct gall type on leaves or petioles. The genus is notable for its intimate association with the bacterial endosymbiont Carsonella ruddii, which has the smallest known cellular genome of any bacterium. Adults are tiny (3.5–4.5 mm), resembling miniature cicadas, and overwinter in concealed locations before emerging to lay eggs on new hackberry growth in spring.
Pyrrhocoroidea
Red and Bordered Plant Bugs, Red Cotton Bugs
Pyrrhocoroidea is a superfamily of true bugs comprising approximately 520 species in two families: Pyrrhocoridae (red bugs, ~300 species) and Largidae (bordered plant bugs, ~220 species). Members are primarily herbivorous, with many species exhibiting bright red or orange coloration. The superfamily is distinguished by specific bacterial symbiont associations, particularly Burkholderia in Largidae, which are acquired environmentally each generation rather than transmitted maternally. Pyrrhocoroidea represents the earliest-diverging superfamily of Burkholderia-associated Hemiptera.
Tephritinae
Tephritinae is a subfamily of tephritid fruit flies comprising approximately 2,000 described species across 11 recognized tribes and several unplaced genera. Members are predominantly non-frugivorous, with many species specialized on flowerheads of Asteraceae. The subfamily exhibits a global distribution and is notable for widespread associations with co-evolved bacterial symbionts of the genus Candidatus Stammerula.
Tetanops
picture-winged flies
Tetanops is a genus of picture-winged flies (family Ulidiidae, subfamily Otitinae) containing approximately 20 described species distributed across the Holarctic region. The genus includes both economically significant agricultural pests and non-pest species with specialized ecological associations. The most intensively studied species, Tetanops myopaeformis (sugar beet root maggot), is a major pest of sugar beet in North America, while other species such as T. myopina are psammophilous specialists inhabiting coastal sand dunes. Larval biology varies substantially among species: some develop in living plant roots, others in decaying organic matter, and at least one species is associated with rotting cactus pads.
Xylotopus par
Xylotopus par is an aquatic xylophagous midge in the family Chironomidae. The larvae colonize submerged wood substrates in freshwater streams, feeding on decaying wood. Populations exhibit plastic phenology, with development rates varying based on wood substrate quality—larvae in fresh, introduced wood can complete development in a single summer, while those in indigenous logs normally require a full year. The species has been studied for its unique bacterial associations in the larval midgut, where morphotypically uniform bacteria form a well-defined band in the posterior midgut's ectoperitrophic space.