Tapinoma sessile — Odorous House Ant

December 2, 2025

Sample information
Picture
Photos by: Atif K.
Location
Collection date 09/04/2025
Captive / Cultivated? Wild-caught
Group Benedictine University
Observations

Collected by Fall 2025 students
Putative identification Arthropoda Insecta Hymenoptera Formicidae Tapinoma Tapinoma sessile

Methods
Extraction kit DNeasy (Qiagen) blood and tissue kit.
DNA extraction location Whole arthropod
Single or Duplex PCR Single Reaction
Gel electrophoresis system Standard electrophoresis system
Buffer TAE
DNA stain SYBR Safe
Gel images
Protocol notes

During the DNA extraction phase, the DNA sample for my original arthropod, Tapinoma sessile (Odorous House Ant), was lost and could not be recovered. Because of this, there is no Wolbachia 16S sequence, no Wolbachia 16S fasta file, no Wolbachia 16S ab1 file, and no arthropod COI fasta file or COI ab1 file for this specimen. There is also no gel electrophoresis image for this individual. I was provided with a replacement arthropod specimen, Hymenoptera sp., and all downstream analyses including PCR, gel electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing, and BLAST identification were performed using the replacement specimen.

Results
Wolbachia presence Unknown
Confidence level Low
Explanation of confidence level

I selected a low confidence level because my Wolbachia result was unknown. The sample did not produce any reliable sequencing data and did not yield a significant BLAST match. In addition, the original arthropod DNA sample was lost during extraction, so no Wolbachia 16S sequence, fasta file, or gel image was available to verify infection status. Because there was no usable molecular evidence to support a positive or negative result, the confidence level is low.
Wolbachia 16S sequence
Arthropod COI sequence
Summary
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