A new symbiotic lineage related to Neisseria and Snodgrassella arises from the dynamic and diverse microbiomes in sucking lice

Phylogenetic diversity of symbiotic bacteria in sucking lice suggests that during their evolution the lice experienced a complex history of symbionts acquisitions, losses and replacements. By combining metagenomics and amplicon screening across several populations of two louse genera, Polyplax and Hoplopleura, we describe a novel louse symbiont lineage related to Neisseria and Snodgrassella, and show its independent origin within the dynamic lice microbiomes. While the genomes of these symbionts are highly similar in the two lice genera, their distribution and status within the microbiomes indicate that they have different functions and history.