Diversity of symbiotic microbes and their potential functions associated with multiple development stages of Zeugodacus tau (Walker).

Zeugodacus tau is a major quarantine insect pest that causes considerable damage to vegetable industries in Jiangxi area. Symbiotic microbes play essential roles in the long-term coevolution of host insects. While symbiotic bacteria are increasingly recognized as pivotal mediators of insect physiology and ecology, characterization of bacteria dynamics across life cycles of Z. tau remains limited. To address this knowledge gap, we surveyed the dynamic changes of symbiotic microbiota across various life stages of Z. tau, including larva, pupa, female and male adult, using high-throughput sequencing technology on the Illumina MiSeq platform. A total of 2,574 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were discerned from 16S rRNA genes. Alpha diversity analysis disclosed the pupa of Z. tau possessed the highest bacterial abundance and diversity. Notably, Pseudomonadota was the dominant phylum across all stages except the larva, where Lactiplantibacillus predominated. Klebsiella and Enterobacter were the main genera in adult males and females. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis demonstrated stage-specific functional specialization, with larvae preferentially activating carbohydrate metabolism for growth while adults upregulated energy metabolism to support flight and reproduction. These findings provide foundational insights into host-microbiota interactions and may inform the development of microbiota-targeted pest management strategies.