Evidence for the establishment of aphid-eubacterium endosymbiosis in an ancestor of four aphid families.

Entrez PubMed: "Aphids (superfamily Aphidoidea) contain eubacterial endosymbionts localized within specialized cells (mycetocytes). The endosymbionts are essential for the survival of the aphid hosts. Sequence analyses of the 16S rRNAs from endosymbionts of 11 aphid species from seven tribes and four families have indicated that the endosymbionts are monophyletic. Furthermore, phylogenetic relationships within the symbiont clade parallel the relationships of the corresponding aphid hosts. Our findings suggest that this endocytobiotic association was established in a common ancestor of the four aphid families with subsequent diversification into the present species of aphids and their endosymbionts."

Munson MA, Baumann P, Clark MA, Baumann L, Moran NA, Voegtlin DJ, Campbell BC. Evidence for the establishment of aphid-eubacterium endosymbiosis in an ancestor of four aphid families. J Bacteriol. 1991 Oct;173(20):6321-4.

Free Full Text Article 1991