Wolbachia is a maternally inherited endosymbiont of the phylum α-Proteobacteria that is found widely in arthropods and nematodes. Wolbachia is the most common endosymbiont in butterflies (Lepidoptera) and it manipulates host reproduction mainly by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility, male killing, and feminization. We studied the prevalence patterns of Wolbachia in 52 butterfly species from five families collected in southern China. A substantial infection incidence was determined in the study region, where 18 out of the 52 butterfly species ...
