First Data on the Investigation of Gut Yeasts in Hermit Beetle ( Osmoderma barnabita Motschulsky, 1845) Larvae in Lithuania

In this study, yeasts from the gut of larvae were isolated and molecularly identified. It is worth noting that this research provides the first analysis of the gut yeast community in larvae in Lithuania, which is a significant contribution to the field. Two hermit-like L3-praepupa instars were collected from a decaying oak log in Lithuania. The isolation, morphology, biochemistry, and physiology of the yeast isolates were characterized using standards commonly employed in yeast taxonomy studies. The isolates were identified by sequencing the large subunit (26S) rDNA (D1/D2 domain of the LSU). All gut compartments were colonized by the yeast. A total of 45 yeast strains were obtained from the gut of both larvae, with 23 strains originating from Larva 1, 16 strains from Larva 2, and 6 strains from the galleries. According to our identification results of the 45 yeast strains, most of the species were related to , with most of them belonging to the order. Yeasts of the genera , , , , , , , and were present in gut of larvae. Species of the order represented the phylum.