Towards unravelling Wolbachia global exchange : a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics
Background: Phylogenetically closely related strains of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria are often found in phylogenetically divergent, and geographically distant insect host species. The interspecies transfer of the symbiont Wolbachia has been thought to have occurred repeatedly, facilitating its observed global pandemic. Few ecological interactions have been proposed as potential rout