Nezara viridula, the southern green stink bug Targeted loci environmental

Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), commonly known in the U.S. as the southern green stink bug (SGSB), is a cosmopolitan, highly polyphagous feeder that causes severe damage to a wide range of agronomically important crops, such as fruit, vegetable, grain, tobacco, and cotton, throughout much of the United States, and is a global pest of considerable ecological, agricultural, and economical interest. During dissection of female N. viridula, conspicuous black and brown spots or lesions were observed on various internal organs. To determine the cause of these lesions, tissues of the fat body, spermatheca, ovaries, and ovulated eggs were collected from healthy and infected individuals. The gross morphology was characterized, and the microorganisms, which include the microsporidian pathogen, Nosema maddoxi, and salmonella, and enterococcus, associated with the infection were identified by amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes.