Woolly Worm

December 4, 2025

Sample information
Picture
Photos by: Avika G.
Location
Collection date 11/13/2025
Captive / Cultivated?
Group NCSSM
Observations

My partner and I located this Woolly Worm near our school. It was on the road leading up to our school’s grass hill. It was crawling slowly across the road. I collected it in the afternoon about 11:30 AM, and it was cloudy and slightly windy.
Putative identification Arthropoda Insecta Lepidoptera Erebidae Pyrrharctia

Methods
Extraction kit DNeasy (Qiagen) blood and tissue kit
DNA extraction location Abdomen
Single or Duplex PCR Single Reaction
Gel electrophoresis system MiniPCR
Buffer TBE
DNA stain GelGreen
Gel images
Protocol notes

DNA extraction: I crushed the arthropod thoroughly after dissecting it to just obtain its abdomen. I made sure to crush any hard parts.

Gel electrophoresis lanes:

  1. DNA Ladder
  2. second well is my arthropod DNA
  3. third well is my wolbachia DNA
  4. fourth well is my partners arthropod DNA
  5. fifth well is my partners wolbachia DNA

Analysis: My bands were faint, yet present. They are enough to deduce a reasonable conclusion about the nature of our species, but the confidence level is low.

Results
Wolbachia presence Yes
Confidence level Medium
Explanation of confidence level

The gel bands were faint. There could have possibly been some contamination in the extraction process.
Wolbachia 16S sequence
Arthropod COI sequence
GGGCAGGAATAGTAGGAACTTCATTAAGATTATTAATTCGAGCAGAATTAGGAATGCCCGGATCCTTAAT TGGAGATGATCAAATTTATAATACTATTGTTACAGCTCATGCTTTTATTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTTATA CCTATTATAATTGGGGGATTTGGTAATTGATTAGTTCCTTTAATATTAGGAGCCCCTGATATAGCTTTCC CCCGAATAAATAACATAAGTTTTTGACTTTTACCCCCATCTTTAACTTTATTAATCTCAAGAAGAATTGT AGAAAATGGGGCAGGTACCGGATGAACCGTTTATCCCCCCCTTTCATCCAATATTGCCCACGGTGGTAGT TCTGTTGATTTAGCCATTTTTTCTTTACATCTAGCAGGAATTTCTTCAATTTTAGGAGCTATTAATTTTA TTACCACAATTATTAATATACGATTAAATAATTTATCATTTGACCAAATACCTTTATTTGTTTGAGCGGT AGGAATTACTGCTTTTTTACTTCTTCTTTCTTTACCTGTTTTAGCAGGTGCTATTACTATACTTTTAACA GATCGAAATTTAAATACATCATTTTTTGATCCTGCAGGGGGGGGAGATCCT
BLAST at The Wolbachia Project   BLAST at NCBI
Summary The Pyrrharctia was found to be postive for Wolbachia.
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