Current Microbiology (2006) 52, 97-101

Tetsuya Hagimori, Yoshihisa Abe, Shuichi Date and Kazuki Miura (2006)
The first finding of a Rickettsia bacterium associated with parthenogenesis induction among insects
Current Microbiology 52 (2), 97-101
Abstract: The larval endoparasitoid, Neochrysocharis formosa (Westwood), is an important natural enemy of the leafminer Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) in Japan. The thelytokous strain of N. formosa mostly produces female progeny. Male progeny were produced by females treated with tetracycline, suggesting that microorganisms induce thelytoky in N. formosa. The result of nucleotide sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that the parasitoid is infected with a Rickettsia bacterium, which appears to be causative of the thelytoky. Although Rickettsia-bellii-like bacteria have been found to be associated with various reproductive disorders, this is the first finding of a parthenogenesis-inducing Rickettsia among insects.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Kazuki Miura

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Liriomyza trifolii		Japan
Closterocerus formosus (parasitoid)	Liriomyza trifolii		Japan