Composition of Secondary Endosymbiont Bacteria in Two Whitefly Species (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Tobacco whitefly Bemisia tabaci and greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum, which have a wide host range, are among the most important plant protection problems in agricultural areas all over the world. Within the scope of the study, the infection status of endosymbiont bacteria Wolbachia, Rickettsia and Arsenophonus in the whiteflies was determined by molecular methods. Whiteflies T. vaporariorum and B. tabaci populations were collected from tomato greenhouses at five different locations in Antalya province. This study is the first for endosymbionts of Turkish T. vaporariorum populations. All the three endosymbionts were found in T. vaporariorum and B. tabaci populations. While Arsenophonus was the most frequently found endosymbiont in both whitefly populations, Wolbachia was found in high rates in T. vaporariorum and Rickettsia in B. tabaci. In addition, endosymbiont compositions in individuals belonging to both species were revealed as single, double and triple. Wolbachia (W) and Rickettsia (R) were not found together in any individual of both whitefly species. Out of WR, all single and other multiple endosymbiont combinations were detected in the individuals. However, any infection was not recorded for few individuals from the populations of both species.