Identification of Cellulolytic Bacteria from Guts of Microcerotermes diversus Silvestri (Isoptera: Termitidae) in Southern Iran

Termites are a large and important group of insects in terrestrial ecosystems that decompose lignocelluloses. Among these, Microcerotermes diversus Silvestri ( Termitidae ) is a destructive invasive pest in many tropical and subtropical regions. In the present study, M . diversus specimens were collected from traps in Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Kish, and Khark Islands. Sample suspensions were prepared in 5-ml DH 2 O and cultured on nutrient agar (NA) medium. All 47 representative bacterial isolates were evaluated for cellulolytic activity by growing them on cellulose Congo-red agar medium. Based on some key phenotypic characteristics, the isolates were tentatively identified at the genus level. These were confirmed by 16S rRNA analysis using a universal primer pair (P1/P6). Sequence alignments revealed that most of the isolates are novel species so far found in the termite guts. Results showed that some of the isolates are common for all surveyed areas. However, there were significant differences in their numbers and degree of cellulolytic activity. The species reported here for the first time for termites of Iran are Bacillus wiedmanii , B . paramycoides , Elizabethkingia anophelis , Lysinibacillus pakestanensis , Pseudomonas hibiscicola , Actinetobacter pitti , A. venetianus , and Ochrobactrum anthropi .