Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs
- Takanori Nishino
- Minoru Moriyama
- Hiromi Mukai
- Masahiko Tanahashi
- Takahiro Hosokawa
- Hsin-Yi Chang
- Shuji Tachikawa
- Naruo Nikoh
- Ryuichi Koga
- Chih-Horng Kuo
- Takema Fukatsu
2025-10-17
Dinidorid stinkbugs were reported to possess a conspicuous tympanal organ on female hindlegs. In this study, we show that this organ is specialized to retain microbial symbionts rather than to perceive sound. The organ’s surface is not membranous but consists of porous cuticle in which each pore connects to glandular secretory cells. In reproductive females, the hindleg organ is covered with fungal hyphae that grow from the pores. Upon oviposition, the females transfer the fungi from the organ to the eggs, where the hyphae physically protect the eggs against wasp parasitism. The fungi comprise a diversity of mostly low-pathogenicity Cordycipitaceae.