Occurrence of three intracellular symbionts (Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, Cardinium) among ants in southern China

• Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, and Cardinium in ants were investigate in southern China.
• 30%, 19%, and 0% of ants was infected by Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, and Cardinium.
• Wolbachia and Arsenophonus are the main inherited bacteria.

Many ants are commonly infected by maternally inherited endosymbionts. We examined the prevalence of three bacterial endosymbionts (Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, and Cardinium) in ant populations in southern China. The results showed that the proportion of ant samples infected by Wolbachia and Arsenophonus was 30.20% and 18.79%, respectively. Cardinium was not found in any of our samples. Our results also indicated that more than 50% of the ant species (30 of 56) tested were infected by maternally inherited bacteria. Of the 56 ant species, 35.71% were infected by Wolbachia and 37.50% were positive for Arsenophonus. Co-occurrence of Arsenophonus and Wolbachia was found in the same colony in 7 of 56 ant species. This study suggests that Wolbachia and Arsenophonus are the main inherited bacteria in ants in southern China. These endosymbionts may have strong impacts on ant biology and can be manipulated for pest management.

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