Distribution and characterization of microbial communities in Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi, an important predator of sap sucking insect pests

Common green lacewing, Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi is one of the important biological control agents and is used effectively to manage various insect pests. Chrysopid predators are found to harbor many endosymbiotic yeasts and bacteria. Keeping this in view, a study on the distribution of yeast and bacteria in the adult diverticulum and larval gut was conducted using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and molecular techniques. TEM showed the presence of a load of bacterial cells towards the periphery of inner side of the epithelial lining and the dividing bacterial cells in the larval gut. Numerous oval and kidney shaped yeast fauna were found to be distributed within the lumen and diverticular folds of the diverticulum of adult. Our study reveals the presence and distribution of yeast and bacterial cells from the adult diverticulum and gut of larva. Microbial isolates were identified by sequencing 16S rRNA gene for bacteria and ITS region of yeast including partial rRNA genes ITS-1 and partial 5.8S rRNA gene for yeast, respectively which revealed the presence of yeast isolates namely Kodamaea ohmeri, Torulaspora delbrueckii, Wickerhamomyces anomalus and bacterial isolates namely: Enterobacter hormaechei, E. cloacae and Enterobacter sp. as most common from adult and larvae, respectively. Key words: Diverticulum, diverticular folds, epithelial lining, lumen, yeast, bacteria