Phylogenetic Analysis of Symbiotic Archaea Living in the Gut of Xylophagous Cockroaches

Abstract

Small subunit rDNA sequences of symbiotic archaea in the gut of two species of xylophagous cockroaches Panesthia angustipennis and Salganea taiwanensis were analyzed by PCR. Most PCR clones obtained from the cockroaches belonged to the order Methanosarcinales (XSAT4A cluster) and formed a cluster with Methanomicrococcus blatticola and PCR clones obtained from higher termites. Affiliations of the symbiotic archaeal PCR clones of the XSAT4A cluster were closely related to those in the gut of higher termites. The results suggest that the archaeal community members of the XSAT4 cluster are widely distributed in xylophagous insects.