The general objective of our study is to characterize gut microbiome diversity of specimens of three species belonging to Meligethinae C. G. Thomson, 1859 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae). The main targets are the following: assess the microbiome composition related with different levels of specialization regarding the trophic regime; verify whether the microbiome composition is more similar in beetles belonging to the same taxonomic unit (Genus) or trophic guild; establish whether infection by endosymbionts (mainly Wolbachia and Rickettsia) could influence composition of microbiome to verify the hypothesis that the presence of endosymbionts correlates with microbiota diversity (that an increased number of endosymbionts decreases number of other bacteria); check if abundances of endosymbionts are negatively correlated with each other in order to verify the hypothesis that particular genera of these bacteria occur interchangeably.
Within phytophagous Coleoptera, the composition and possible role of the microbiome in members of Meligethinae C. G. Thomson, 1859 (Nitidulidae), commonly known as `pollen beetles, are almost unknown. Additionally, possible relationships among different levels of diversity in gut microbiomes of phytophagous insects and their trophic larval specialization, have been scarcely explored thus far.