Wolbachia endosymbiont in some insect pests of sericulture

The polymerase chain reaction method was applied to screen some insect pests of sericulture for the presence of Wolbachia, a rickettsial alpha-proteo-bacterium. The results revealed that out of 16 insect species representing six major orders, viz. Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Dictyoptera comprising fifteen families tested, four were positive for Wolbachia infection. Two among these are insect pests of Morus species, one of Terminalia species and another major dipteran endoparasite of tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta harbours Wolbachia. These results indicate that the occurrence of Wolbachia is widespread among insect pests of sericulture