Insect Biocontrol Laboratory, Plant Protection Institute, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Building 011 A, Room 214, 20705, Beltsville, Maryland.
Microb Ecol. 1992 Jun;23(2):181-93. doi: 10.1007/BF00172639.
Beetles (Coleoptera) harbor many species ofAcholeplasma andSpiroplasma (division Tenericutes, class Mollicutes). Mollicutes were isolated from guts and/or hemocoels of firefly beetles (Lampyridae) from the United States (Maryland and West Virginia), Ecuador, and Tobago. Firefly beetles were frequent hosts for the group XIV spiroplasma, isolated from Ellychnia corrusca, and the group XIX spiroplasma, isolated fromPhoturis spp. The most unusual feature of the firefly-mollicute association is the carriage of four Mycoplasma species. Recent phylogenetic studies indicate that these species are members of a clade that includes a vertebrate pathogen,Mycoplasma mycoides. The high rate of occurrence ofMycoplasma species (which are, otherwise, infrequent in insects) in lampyrid beetles suggests that the association is significant. The unusual light-producing physiology of lampyrids (which is dependent on large pools of energy) and the production of large amounts of cardenolides from cholesterol (a critical growth factor for many mollicutes) may favor colonization by mollicutes.
甲虫（鞘翅目）携带许多种 Acholeplasma 和 Spiroplasma（细分 Tenericutes，类 Mollicutes）。从美国（马里兰州和西弗吉尼亚州）、厄瓜多尔和多巴哥的萤火虫甲虫（萤科）的肠道和/或血腔中分离出了 Mollicutes。萤火虫甲虫是第十四组螺旋体的常见宿主，该螺旋体分离自 Ellychnia corrusca，而第十九组螺旋体则分离自 Photuris spp。萤火虫与 Mollicutes 之间的关联最不寻常的特征是携带了四种支原体。最近的系统发育研究表明，这些物种是一个包括一种脊椎动物病原体 Mycoplasma mycoides 的分支的成员。在萤科甲虫中，支原体（通常在昆虫中不常见）的高发生率表明这种关联是重要的。萤火虫产生光的生理（依赖于大量的能量）和大量胆固醇产生的强心甾（许多 Mollicutes 的关键生长因子）可能有利于 Mollicutes 的定植。
