Classification of Wolbachia (Alphaproteobacteria, Rickettsiales): No evidence for a distinct supergroup in cave spiders

To the editor To the editor References Wolbachia are intracellular, inherited Alphaproteobacteria present in a large proportion of arthropod species and in filarial nematodes. Wolbachia-host interactions are many-faceted and include, but are not limited to reproductive manipulations (Werren et al. 2008), nutritional mutualism (Nikoh et al. 2014), and protection from pathogens (Hedges et al. 2008, Teixeira et al. 2008). Although there is just a single Wolbachia species described, the genus is highly diverse with regard to its distribution, phenotypes induced in the host, and genomic architecture. The generally accepted classification scheme currently in use differentiates among genetically distinct, monophyletic lineages named \"supergroups\" (Lindsey et al. 2016). To date, 16 of th ...