Wolbachia infection in trissolcus species (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

Abstract

Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted intracellular symbiont which causes reproductive distortions in the arthropods it infects. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in using Wolbachia as a potential tool for biological control by genetic manipulation of insect pests. In the present paper we report Wolbachia infection in several Trissolcus wasps (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) which are important egg parasitoids of the sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Heteroptera: Scutellaridae). We used DNA sequence data for a gene encoding a surface protein of Wolbachia (wsp) not only to confirm Wolbachia infection but also to discriminate Wolbachia strains. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that Wolbachia strains in Trissolcus species were closely related to one another and belonged to supergroup B. Determination of the infection status of various populations, the possible role of Wolbachia in causing the incompatibility and knowledge of the reproductive compatibility of Trissolcus populations is important for the success of parasitoids in sunn pest management.