Disentangling the gut bacterial communities of the agave weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

The agave weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus, is a pest of agave. Its larvae cause damage to agaves by boring holes in the plant. Boring requires that the insect consume the constituents of its host plant, which contains sugars and many recalcitrant polymers. It has been hypothesized for many years that the gut bacterial communities of S. acupunctatus play a role in its ability to metabolize agave components. However, studies exploring this insect's gut bacterial communities have yet to be performed. In this work, we used a 16S rRNA gene-based metabarcoding approach to characterize the gut bacterial communities of field-collected agave weevils from different localities in Mexico. We found that external factors, including host plants, have important effects on the structure of the gut bacterial communities of S. acupunctatus. Despite this variability, we found a discrete core bacterial community mainly composed of the genera Prevotella, Pectinatus, Liquorilactobacillus, Secundilactobacillus, Paucilactobacillus, and Pseudomonas. These genera may be necessary for S. acupunctatus as metabolic helpers and/or gatekeepers. Additional studies are needed to fully assess the functionality of the gut bacterial community of this species in terms of its metabolic contribution, which may help to decipher their potential ecological implications. The information we provided here is the first step for guiding further questions.