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Characterization of the Microbial Communities in the Ant Lion Euroleon coreanus (Okamoto) (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae)

  • Ecology, Behavior and Bionomics
  • Published:
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Abstract

Euroleon coreanus (Okamoto) is widely distributed in China, and the larval stage can be treated as traditional Chinese medicine. However, the host-bacterium relationship remains unexplored, as there is a lack of knowledge on the microbial community of ant lions. Hence, in the current study, we explored the microbial community of the larval ant lion E. coreanus using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Results indicated that a total of 10 phyla, 126 genera, and 145 species were characterized from the second instars of E. coreanus, and most of the microbes were classified in the phylum Proteobacteria. Cronobacter muytjensii was the most abundant species characterized in the whole body and gut of E. coreanus, and the unclassified species in the genera Brevundimonas and Lactobacillus were relatively more abundant in the head and carcass. In addition, no Wolbachia-like bacteria were detected, whereas bacteria like Francisella tularensis subsp. Holarctica OSU18 and unclassified Rickettsiella were first identified in ant lion E. coreanus.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31400342, 31272372), Natural Science Foundation of Hebei (C2015205124), Natural Science Research Programs of Educational Department of Hebei Province (BJ2016032), and Science Foundation of Hebei Normal University (L2012Z05, L2011B13).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Key Lab of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal Univ, Shijiazhuang,, 050024, People’s Republic of China

      J N Liu, T H Wang, Q Y Jia, X H Gao, H Wan, W Y Sun, X L Yang, R Bao, J Z Liu & Z J Yu

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    1. J N Liu
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    2. T H Wang
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    Correspondence to J Z Liu or Z J Yu.

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    Edited by Andrew Michel – Ohio State Univ

    J N Liu, T H Wang and Q Y Jia contributed equally to this work.

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    Liu, J.N., Wang, T.H., Jia, Q.Y. et al. Characterization of the Microbial Communities in the Ant Lion Euroleon coreanus (Okamoto) (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae). Neotrop Entomol 45, 397–403 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-016-0388-8

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-016-0388-8

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