Type: Article

Genome-resolved metagenomics reveals a phylogenetically cohesive Acetilactobacillus-like species complex dominating stingless bee pot honey

Aurora Xolalpa-Aroche, Haydeé Contreras-Peruyero, Enrique J Delgado-Suárez, David I Hernández-Mena, Wilson I Moguel-Chin, Jose F Rivero-Cruz, Rodrigo A Velarde, Elizabeth Ortiz-Vázquez, Blanca E Rivero-Cruz, Jose Abel Lovaco-Flores, Lorena Rodríguez Orduña, Cuauhtémoc Licona-Cassani, Francisco Barona-Gómez, Nelly Sélem-Mojica;

Abstract:

Pot honey, the honey produced by stingless bees, is valued for its antimicrobial capacity, which may be influenced by its microbial content. While Lactobacillaceae species are commonly associated with honeybees and honey microbiomes, most studies have focused on Apis mellifera, leaving pot honey microbial diversity largely unexplored. We present the first pot honey shotgun metagenomic analysis from bee species Melipona beecheii and Scaptotrigona mexicana. We reconstructed 24 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), 15 of which lacked close matches to any described species, showing 81% Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) to available reference genomes. Phylogenetic analyses resolved these MAGs into four well-defined clades (intraclade ANI , interclade ANI ), consistent with four novel species within the family Lactobacillaceae. GTDB-Tk classification placed MAG clades 1 …