Intraspecific microbiome dynamics across the life cycle of the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus
Larner W, Thölke da Silva Grego N, Panfilio KA. Microbial genomics, January 2026.
Read the paper Free to read · doi:10.1099/mgen.0.001583
What this paper is about
True bugs vary enormously in how they acquire their gut bacteria, and the seed-feeding group that includes the large milkweed bug has lost the specialized anatomy that usually houses them. This study sequenced the bug’s microbiome across sexes and life stages under controlled conditions.
It focuses on whether bacteria pass from mother to embryo, and distinguishes what is on the eggshell from what is inside the egg.
Summarised here from the abstract below. Not the authors’ words.
Abstract
The microbiome is an important part of the complete nutritional and genomic profile of insects. The species-rich insect order Hemiptera (aphids, cicadas and true bugs) is highly diverse for mode of microbiome acquisition, with the conundrum that species in the seed-feeding subfamily Lygaeinae have lost obvious anatomy for housing bacteria, either in bacteriocytes or midgut crypts. Here, we characterize the microbiome of the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus as a tractable lygaeinid, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We assess how bacterial taxa vary between the sexes and across life history stages in a controlled environment, focusing on maternal-to-embryo transmission and distinguishing egg-stage constituents that are superficial or internal (transovarially transmitted). Among a core microbiome of 28 genera, the egg stage shows the greatest diversity, with a particular expansion of the family Comamonadaceae. We also analyse inter-individual variability in nymphs and adults and validate structured, stage-specific detection of seed material. Comparative analysis identifies Rhizobium as a notable microbiome constituent in seed-feeding Hemiptera, which we had previously shown to lack nitrogen metabolism components in the genome. Overall, we provide a nuanced assessment of bacterial abundance dynamics between individuals and across the life cycle and discuss the implications for acquisition and potential relevance as nutritional endosymbionts. This will underpin comparative investigations in seed-feeding bugs and future work in O. fasciatus on tissue-specific and diet-specific microbiome profiles, including in natural populations.
Abstract reproduced from the published paper, which is licensed CC BY. Copyright remains with the authors.
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title = {Intraspecific microbiome dynamics across the life cycle of the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus (listing)},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
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note = {Accessed DATE}
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