Screening of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria in flower beetle, Tropinota (Epicometis) hirta (Poda, 1761) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae)

Flower beetle, Tropinota (Epicometis) hirta (Poda, 1761) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae) is a polyphagous pest that spreads over a wide area and causes economic losses in almost all flowering plants and granies. Although successful in its struggle with chemical methods, it is risky due to its negative effects on beneficial insects and pollinators. Therefore, maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria show promise in the development of environmentally friendly alternative strategies to chemical control methods, especially in the fight against harmful species. Although there are many data on the distribution and damage of T. hirta in Turkey, there are no studies on the endosymbiotic bacterial flora in pest populations. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the presence of Arsenophonus, Cardinium, Rickettsia and Wolbachia bacteria in the T. hirta populations detected for the first time in Kırşehir. For this purpose, T. hirta adults were collected from zucchini, strawberry, apple, pear, cherry and sour cherry in five different locations. In a total of 50 T. hirtas (10 individuals from each location) diagnosed according to their morphological features and confirmed by the primer set (LCO1490 and HCO2198) amplifying the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I subunit (COI), specific primers sets (Ars, Clo, Rb and Wspec) and endosymbiotic bacteria were screened. As a result of the studies, it was determined that Arsenophonus, Cardinium, Rickettsia and Wolbachia bacteria were not found in T. hirta samples for the first time in Turkey. It is thought that this study, which reports the distribution of T. hirta in Kırşehir, will contribute to the studies to be carried out on T. hirta, which causes damage to agricultural products under pressure due to global warming, drought and increasing food demand in the world.