The cultivable gut bacteria Enterococcus mundtii promotes early-instar larval growth of Conogethes punctiferalis via enhancing digestive enzyme activity.

Background: Gut bacteria are crucial in influencing insect development and even phenotypic plasticity. The yellow peach moth Conogethes punctiferalis, as a significant borer pest, has been the subject of limited reports regarding the structural and diversification changes in its gut microbiota during feeding, and their potential impacts on the growth and development of the host insects.

Results: This study, employing 16S rRNA sequencing, demonstrates distinct shifts in the larvae gut microbiome of C.