The gut microbial fauna of the hardwood stump borer, Mallodon dasystomus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Although many insects feed on wood, very few have the ability to digest cellulose. Instead, they use microbial symbionts to provide cellulase activity. Mallodon dasystomus feeds in the heartwood of many hard wood species in the southeastern United States and is considered to be an economic pest. In this study we use classical microbiology and molecular methods to identify symbiotic gut microbes with the goal of understanding feeding ecology of Cerambycid beetles. Larval digestive tracts were dissected into phosphate buffered saline and serially diluted. Samples were spread on a variety of different media and incubated aerobically. Bacterial, yeast and fungal isolates were identified through gram staining, colony morphology and DNA analysis.