Spiroplasmas and entomoplasmas (Procaryotae: Mollicutes) associated with tabanids (Diptera: Tabanidae) and fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

The tabanids Chrysops brimleyi and Hybomitra difficilis (collected in Georgia, USA) were allowed to feed at the same feeding sites as Ellychnia corrusca fireflies (collected in Maryland and West Virginia, USA) to see whether Mollicutes infecting the fireflies were transferred to the tabanids. The spiroplasmas used were the group XIV, EC-1 strain previously isolated from E. corrusca from Maryland, USA, and HYOS-1 strain from H. opaca from Montana, USA, identified as Entomoplasma ellychniae. It was shown that Spiroplasma strain EC-1 and E. ellychniae could be transferred from infected fireflies to tabanids, and it is assumed that this occurred at common feeding sites. Spiroplasmas and E. ellychniae were recovered from the surface of raisins fed on by cohabiting tabanids and fireflies. Laboratory tests indicated that spiroplasmas may be able to survive in air-dried carbohydrate sources such as honeydew long enough to infect another suitable host during feeding.