Original paper
The labial adhesive pads of rove beetles of the genus Stenus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) as carriers of bacteria
Koerner, Lars; Braun, Volkmar; Betz, Oliver
Entomologia Generalis Volume 36 Number 1 (2016), p. 33 - 41
published: Jul 1, 2016
manuscript accepted: Jan 14, 2016
manuscript received: Oct 10, 2015
DOI: 10.1127/entomologia/2016/0308
ArtNo. ESP146003601002, Price: 9.90 €
Abstract
Abstract The ground-dwelling staphylinid beetles Stenus juno (Paykull, 1789) and S bimaculatus Gyllenhal, 1810, inhabit moist bacterial-rich habitats such as detritus or leaf litter. Transmission electron microscopy has revealed bacteria in high densities immersed in the adhesive secretion exuded by special head glands onto the labial pads that form part of the advanced sticky prey-capture apparatus of these beetles. Using 16S rRNA sequence analysis, we have identified 13 different bacterial sequences, mostly belonging to the Actinomycetales and Pseudomonadales.
Keywords
adhesion • bacteria-insect relationship • mouthparts • secretion