Microbial community structure in the gut of the New Zealand insect Auckland tree weta (Hemideina thoracica)

摘要: The endemic New Zealand weta is an enigmatic insect. Although the insect well known by its distinctive name, considerable size, and morphology, many basic aspects of biology remain unknown. Here, we employed cultivation-independent enumeration techniques rRNA gene sequencing to investigate gut microbiota Auckland tree (Hemideina thoracica). Fluorescence in situ hybridisation performed on different sections revealed a bacterial community fluctuating density, while gene-targeted amplicon pyrosequencing presence microbial containing high diversity, but apparent absence archaea. Bacteria were further studied using full-length 16S sequences, with statistical testing membership against publicly available termite- cockroach-derived revealing that similar cockroaches. These data represent first analysis provide initial insights into potential function these microorganisms.