Biology and Life Sciences

Abstract:

Greenhouse cage trials were conducted to evaluate the biocontrol potential of the predatory tiger fly Coenosia attenuata against the Chinese chive maggot Bradysia odoriphaga infesting Allium tuberosum. To enhance pest suppression, we supplemented the predator with alternative prey (Drosophila melanogaster adults), a banana‑based banker medium, and a coir mulch layer across four treatments over 50 weeks. When C. attenuata was released alone (T1), corrected control efficacy against B. odoriphaga larvae ranged from 56.14% to 59.82%. Notably, peak larval suppression was significantly higher in treatments combining the predator with mulch layer (T2: 94.23%) or with the banker media system (T4: 100%). Against adult stages, T1 achieved 32.68%–69.73% corrected efficacy, whereas T2 and T4 reached peak values of 100% and 97.69%, respectively. Predator application also doubled the dry weight of Chinese chive. However, the concurrent use of banker medium and mulch layer (T3) did not produce synergistic effects. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that banker media system and coir mulch layers are effective auxiliary tools for enhancing C. attenuata‑based biocontrol in protected cultivation systems.

Abstract: Field recordists often deal with situations where the presence of a species is documented exclusively by an audio file, without accompanying images nor physical specimens. Machine Learning (ML) classifiers trained on annotated datasets are increasingly popular for the automated identification of insect species from soundscapes or single-species recording. Such promising technology is generally reliable, but cannot correctly classify a species whose time/frequency patterns is not included in the reference datasets. Human experts cannot match the speed of a ML classifier but can provide the flexibility needed to overcome its limitations, by taking advantage of the digital audio software commonplace in the field of bioacoustics and of simple operations such as cut and paste. Such empirical comparisons are complicated by several factors, here individually addressed: guidelines are provided to mitigate the difficulties of specific recognition, both by emphasizing the nature of the obstacles, and by providing step-by-step procedures to overcome them. In light of a growing concern for the lack of verifiability in arthropod research, and a corresponding lack of repeatability in bioacoustic studies, and considering that science is the study of repeatable falsifiable phenomena with a methodology designed to minimize confirmation/cognition biases, the paper introduces the empirical “sandwich method”, that involves two audio files: “the filling”, a time slice of 2 seconds – or one echeme, if its duration exceeds two seconds – cut from the novel, unrecognized recording and inserted in “the bread”, the exemplary reference audio. On-screen view is then zoomed to “the sandwich”, a time window of six seconds (or at least three echemes) centered on the filling. Recognition is based on the similarity of bread and filling as observed side by side first visually (oscillogram), and then aurally (unaided ear comparison). Recognition of the poorly audible sandwiches can be improved by the frequency-lowering effect granted by playing the audio at lower speed (e.g., 1/4 or 1/10 of the natural speed) thanks to the special functions of the audio software. The method requires to save the decisive sandwich as an audio file and as a screenshot, thus ensuring persistence, verifiability, repeatability and possible redaction of the recognition.

Abstract: The role of insects in classical music was investigated using online sources. Over 1000 cases of insect works and pieces were discovered. Many composers repeatedly used insects in their works. The most common groups of arthropods represented were Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Orthoptera and Aranea. The vast majority of cases were published recently, rather than during the traditional age of classical music from 1750 to 1830. The greatest number of composers came from the USA, followed by France, England, Austria and Germany. Only 9% of composers were female. A number of composers of insect pieces are ranked among the best known and most productive, though most insect compositions are poorly known. The music itself often evoked insects via buzzing, droning, and tremolo effects. Many pieces were inspired by literature featuring insects. Classical music is much like other genres of music, such as rock and folk, in that it uses the same groups of species for the same reasons–such as butterflies for beauty and flies for revulsion. However, the prevalence of insects in classical music is much greater than anticipated. The use of literary sources as inspiration is unique, as is the production of insect sounds using traditional instruments.

Abstract: Hydrazine (N₂H₄) and its derivatives are components of rocket fuel that contaminate soils around aerospace facilities and military training grounds. The toxicity of hydrazine hydrate, 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) and 2,4-dinitroaniline to terrestrial invertebrates remains unexplored. This study examined the effects of these substances on the mortality, body mass, pupation, and intensity of Gregarina spp. infestation in larvae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) at temperatures of 21–23 and 26–28 °C. Six hundred larvae were distributed into 10 treatment groups at each of two temperatures, with three containers per group, over a 5-day exposure. A dose-dependent effect on the physiological parameters of T. molitor was recorded: mortality rose with dose for all three compounds and at 90 mg/kg reached 26.7% (DNPH, 26–28 °C). Pupation proved the earliest indicator of exposure: none was recorded in the control (0.0%), whereas 59.6% of the exposed larvae pupated, already at the lowest concentration of 10 mg/kg, where no deaths occurred. The proportion pupating was similar across the three compounds (55.0–62.2%) but declined with increasing concentration, from 67.2% at 10 mg/kg to 52.2% at 90 mg/kg. Temperature had no effect on it (57.8% at 21–23 °C versus 61.5% at 26–28 °C). All pupae survived (100.0%), compared with 85.3% of those that remained larvae. Initial body mass did not differ between these groups, so no size threshold for initiating metamorphosis was detected. Within the 21–28 °C range, no main effect of temperature on mortality, pupation, or body mass was found, although a statistically significant temperature × concentration interaction was recorded for the last of these. All three compounds reduced the intensity of Gregarina spp. infestation with increasing concentration, and raising the temperature to 26–28 °C lowered the mean parasite count from 18.0 to 13.0 specimens/larva. Under acute 5-day exposure, therefore, hydrazine compounds cause little larval mortality but alter pupation, body mass and the intensity of parasitic infestation at concentrations that kill no larvae. This makes the T. molitor–Gregarina spp. system suitable for the early detection of substrate contamination by hydrazine compounds.

Abstract: Species-level identification of mosquitoes within the Anopheles gambiae complex is essential for vector surveillance but remains challenging because several members are morphologically indistinguishable and share substantial genomic variation. Here, I evaluate varKoding, a genome-wide k-mer fingerprinting approach that classifies low-coverage sequencing data without genome assembly using 296 specimens representing seven species of the An. gambiae complex and two non-complex Anopheles species. Leave-one-out validation was performed across five sequencing data amounts (500K–10M bp) using varKode and conventional chaos game representation (CGR) images. varKode consistently outperformed CGR at every sequencing depth, with multi-class accuracy increasing from 95.27% at 500K bp to 98.65% at 10M bp. At 10M bp, six of nine taxa achieved 100% recall; An. gambiae s.s. and An. coluzzii each achieved 97.5% recall, while An. stephensi achieved 95.0%. Reciprocal gambiae–coluzzii errors were concentrated among specimens from Tiassalé, Côte d'Ivoire, including a pre-2013 specimen whose species label cannot be independently verified. Confidence scores generally separated correct from incorrect predictions. At 10M bp, every specimen of An. arabiensis, An. quadriannulatus, An. melas, An. merus and An. bwambae (complex members) and An. funestus (outgroup) was correctly classified, with residual misclassification largely confined to the closely related An. gambiae–An. coluzzii pair.Overall, varKoding provides high-accuracy identification from ultra-low-coverage data across the represented members of the complex, including reliable identification of the important malaria vector An. arabiensis and the non-vector An. quadriannulatus. Difficult specimens can be flagged for orthogonal molecular or population-genomic confirmation, allowing the method to serve as a practical first-pass surveillance tool. Independent geographic validation and broader reference representation would further extend this approach to routine surveillance.

Abstract: Triatoma infestans is the main vector of Trypanosoma cruzi in the South Cone, where vectorial transmission of Chagas is still occurring despite control campaigns with pyrethroid insecticides. High pyrethroid resistance was detected in T. infestans populations from Argentina and Bolivia. This raises the urgent need of including strategies for monitoring and management of insecticide resistance as an essential component of control campaigns. Voltage-gated sodium channel is the target site of pyrethroids; single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the gene encoding this channel, called kdr variants, are associated with pyrethroid resistance in T. infestans. The early detection of kdr in a population allows taking control decisions timely. In this work, we present the development of a high-throughput assay based on multiplex High Resolution Melting for genotyping kdr variants in this species. We characterized T. Infestans populations according to their toxicological response to deltamethrin, and efficiently used this assay for genotyping. Our work confirms that high pyrethroid resistance is strongly associated with kdr variants in T. Infestans, and provides a high-throughput method for vector surveillance and resistance management.

Abstract: Environmental, climatic, and socio-economic conditions coexist in La Guajira, in north-western Colombia, that favour the transmission of dengue. However, gaps in knowledge remain regarding the distribution and temporal dynamics of its main vector, Aedes aegypti. This study assessed the potential distribution and temporal dynamics of Ae. aegypti in the municipality of Manaure, incorporating climatic variables using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models, to identify entomological risk areas and support vector surveillance. First, for environmental suitability, occurrence records were obtained from published literature, the National Institute of Health’s collection of medically important insects, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and field surveys. Nineteen WorldClim v2.1 bioclimatic variables were used to model the potential distribution using MaxEnt, with model performance evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC). Second, temporal dynamics of Ae. aegypti, were carried out over the course of a year in two neighbourhoods with high and low dengue incidence, using Prokopack aspirators for indoor sampling. MaxEnt models showed good predictive performance (AUC >0.8), with temperature annual range (BIO7) as the most influential predictor. In the study of temporal dynamics, a total of 2,313 mosquitoes (53% females) were collected. La Cruzada neighbourhood showed greater temporal dependence (φ₁ = 0.679; p < 0.001) compared with Altos de Salinas (φ₁ = 0.309; p = 0.02), while rainfall one to two weeks earlier was positively associated with an increase in female abundance in both neighbourhoods. The integration of spatial and temporal models enabled the prioritization of risk areas. At the spatial level, MaxEnt estimated patterns consistent with the ecology of the vectors at state level; in those municipalities where entomological risk is highest, it is recommended that time series analyses be carried out to improve forecasts and planning for the integrated management of arboviruses transmitted by the Ae. aegypti mosquito.

Abstract: Plutella xylostella is a destructive pest damaging the cruciferous plants worldwide. Transgenic plants expressing dsRNA can be widely deployed for pest control. However, highly effective lethal target genes are currently lacking. Here, we assessed the efficacy of RNA interference (RNAi) against P. xylostella through microinjection of in vitro synthesized dsRNA targeting PxvATPaseA. Injecting 800 ng of dsPxvATPaseA into the fourth-instar larvae greatly reduced the corresponding mRNA level by 1.88-fold on day 2, causing 45.8% larval mortality, and lastly 54.2% treated larvae sucessfully pupated. At a higher dose of 1200 ng of dsPxvATPaseA, RNAi efficacy was significantly enhanced. The expression level of PxvATPaseA was reduced by 2.22-fold and 1.92-fold on day 2 and 3, respectively, leading to 79.2% larval lethality, and only 20.8% of depleted larvae pupated. Our results indicate that PxvATPaseA is an effective target for managing P. xylostella. These findings will facilitate the development of genetically modified plants for the control of this pest.

Abstract: Hymenoptera play important ecological roles in agroecosystems as parasitoids, predators, and pollinators. This study investigated the species composition and diversity of Hymenoptera in pummelo (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.) orchards in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, China, from February 2025 to February 2026. A total of 8,446 specimens were collected using Malaise traps and sweep-netting, belonging to 11 superfamilies, 37 families, and 191 species. The community was dominated by parasitoids (140 species, 73.30%), followed by predators (30 species, 15.71%) and pollinators (18 species, 9.42%). Ichneumonoidea (42 species, 21.99%), Chalcidoidea (35 species, 18.32%), Vespoidea (30 species, 15.71%) and Apoidea (28 species, 14.66%) were the dominant superfamilies, collectively accounting for 70.68% of all species. At the family level, Ichneumonidae (25 species), Braconidae (17 species), Bethylidae (13 species), and Pompilidae and Scelionidae (11 species each) were the most species-rich families. Shannon–Wiener diversity was higher at the family level (H′ = 2.9340) than at the superfamily level (H′ = 2.0302), indicating greater heterogeneity at finer taxonomic resolution. These results demonstrate that pummelo orchards in Xishuangbanna harbor a species-rich and functionally diverse hymenopteran community with substantial potential for biological pest control and pollination services.

Abstract: Tesserodoniellini new tribe, is established to accommodate the Neotropical genus Tesserodoniella Vaz-de-Mello & Halffter, based on phylogenomic evidence and morphological support. The tribal placement of this genus has been uncertain in previous classifications of Scarabaeinae, and it has been treated as incertae sedis at the tribal level. Recent analyses based on ultra-conserved elements (UCEs) recover Tesserodoniella as a highly supported lineage sister to a clade endemic to Australasia, and in a distinct lineage from Deltochilini and Ateuchini. Although until no single unequivocal synapomorphy was identified, the tribe can be diagnosed by a unique morphological combination of characters. The biogeographic implications related to Gondwanan fragmentation are discussed. An illustrated diagnosis, description with characters that define the tribe, natural history, distributional data with a map for the two known Chilean species are given. Also, photographs of the Tesserodoniella elguetai (type species of the genus) and live specimens in your respective natural habitats are provided.

Abstract: Forensic entomology involves the utilization of insect and other arthropod colonizers in approximating the time since death, i.e., time interval between death and discovery of the cadaver/carcass or carrion/remains. This is frequently referred to as postmortem interval (PMI). The calculation of PMI can be useful when certain assumptions are met. However, determining a true PMI without proper statistical analysis has been a challenge for most entomologists. This review offers some concise overview of PMI determination methods principally based on two types of entomological development, i.e., thermal summation and insect succession. It also includes an appraisal of existing literature in forensic entomology concerning statistical applications, summarizing the forms of statistical analysis that have been, and should be utilized, with entomological evidence. The inclusion of statistical evaluation/statements of entomological data in most forensic entomology investigations have the potential of increasing the robustness of the evidence when presented to the court. Nevertheless, this requires comprehensive and accurate reference data, which the criminal justice system needs to understand in allusion to both the statistical assessment and methodologies employed to generate entomological data from laboratory and field studies. Furthermore, there is clear need to standardize terminologies and improve on the unsurpassed procedures of estimating PMI taking into account the various assumptions discussed in the literature.

Abstract: This paper presents photographic records of butterflies and moths observed along the Bagay Trail of Mt. Napulak, Igbaras, Panay Island, Philippines. The documentation was conducted during a mycological fieldwork in January 2026 and highlights the value of photography as a tool for biodiversity documentation, eco-tourism activities and ecosystem monitoring. Several species were identified through expert consultations, contributing to baseline data for the region. These records emphasize the role of citizen science and photographic documentation in supporting conservation awareness and ecological studies in understudied mountain habitats.

Abstract: Quantitative morphology can extend taxonomic comparison across preserved specimens, living individuals, and calibrated images, but an incomplete reference library may cause confident assignment of an unrepresented species to a known class. We stress-tested a flexible classifier-modelling system using 70 Taiwanese Euterpnosia specimens, five reference classes, and 20 external characters measurable without wing spreading. Twenty repeats of five-fold nested cross-validation yielded 95.93% accuracy and 94.71% balanced accuracy for a feature-screened multinomial model. An all-character multinomial model was modestly more accurate (96.57%; paired difference 0.64 percentage points). Abstention increased reliability, although no agreement rule consistently surpassed simpler confidence rejection. With known and omitted specimens given equal biological weight, leave-one-species-out experiments rejected E. chilanensis, E. olivacea, and E. hoppo in 100%, 100%, and 92.0% of specimen-repeat decisions, whereas omitted E. alpina and E. varicolor were rejected only 21.1% and 35.0% of the time. Reference absence was therefore detectable only when an omitted taxon occupied distinguishable measured morphospace. A provisional quantitative screening tree translated multivariate structure into auditable thresholds. Integrating flexible character acquisition, leakage-resistant comparison, explicit abstention, reference-gap diagnosis, and interpretable screening provides an original workflow for classifier-assisted taxonomy. The protocol is technically applicable to females, but female-specific performance remains untested.

Abstract: As the global population ages rapidly, demand for safe and effective strategies to promote healthy aging grows markedly. Natural bioactive compounds, with favorable biosafety profiles and multi-target regulatory properties, have become a core focus in developing anti-aging functional foods and nutraceuticals. Amid the search for novel sustainable bioresources, edible insects emerge as promising anti-aging candidates for their rich species diversity, scalable production, low environmental footprint, and abundant unique bioactive components such as functional proteins and bioactive peptides. Based on bibliometric analysis of 500 eligible publications spanning two decades, this review systematically identifies 32 anti-aging insect species across seven orders, classifies their bioactive components into five major categories, summarizes green extraction technologies, and evaluates their in vitro and in vivo anti-aging activities centered on oxidative stress and inflammatory regulation, while outlining the field’s trajectory from basic mechanistic research to functional application. It further highlights core challenges including fragmented research frameworks and insufficient robust in vivo validation. Finally, it recommends integrating established food science and medical methodologies with emerging technologies such as omics, artificial intelligence, and advanced delivery systems to advance future research paradigms. These efforts could provide a strong theoretical foundation for the efficient and sustainable use of insect resources in anti-aging applications.

Abstract: The rapid global spread of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, has severely threat-ened maize production, accelerating a critical shift in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) toward augmentative and conservation-based biological control using egg parasitoids. A retrospective bibliometric analysis mapped 87 Scopus-indexed documents (2015–2025) processed via the Bibliometrix package in RStudio following PRISMA protocol. Bradford's Law confirmed a specialized publishing core of five journals accounting for 35.63% of global output (χ² = 0.4828; p = 0.785). Lotka's Law revealed a significant asymmetric dis-tribution of author productivity (χ² = 72.86; p < 0.001), reflecting a discipline driven by a small expert core. Geopolitically, collaboration networks contrasted the research autono-my of emerging Asian powers (China, India) against the multilateral cooperation de-pendency of African nations. Keyword co-occurrence analysis confirmed significant lexi-cal polarization toward the pest–natural enemy pairing (χ² = 12.051; p = 0.0072), with Telenomus remus (22 occurrences) and "egg parasitoid" (21 occurrences) dominating the emerging thematic cluster. The global research frontier has shifted from descriptive ento-mology toward applied precision biological control, emphasizing combined parasitoid releases, climate synchronization, semiochemical manipulation, and selective biopesti-cide compatibility for the sustainable protection of maize crops.

Abstract: Adequate nutrition is essential for honey bee colony development and may influence pollination services provided to agricultural crops. In contrast, fungicides commonly used in agriculture have been associated with physiological and behavioral alterations in individual bees, although their consequences at the colony level remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the effects of colony nutritional status and exposure to a commercial fungicide containing bixafen, prothioconazole, and trifloxystrobin on honey bee colony development and soybean pollination efficiency. Twelve honey bee colonies were maintained under nutritional supplementation or restriction for seven weeks and subsequently exposed or not exposed to the fungicide while confined in soybean pollination cages. Colony weight, food reserves, hygienic behavior, brood area, and Varroa destructor infestation were monitored throughout the experiment, and soybean yield was assessed at harvest. Nutritional supplementation improved colony performance, increasing weight gain, food reserves, hygienic behavior efficiency, and soybean yield (3,076.7 kg ha⁻¹) compared with pollinator-excluded plots (2,334.2 kg ha⁻¹). Fungicide exposure did not affect colony development, food reserves, hygienic behavior, or mite infestation, regardless of nutritional status. After returning to the apiary, colonies recovered from temporary reductions associated with confinement. These findings demonstrate that nutritional status is a key determinant of honey bee colony performance and pollination efficiency, whereas colonies maintained functional resilience under the fungicide exposure conditions evaluated.

Abstract: The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) forms large colonies which represent organisms in their own right, known as superorganisms. Although this species is among the most extensively studied insects, competing explanations persist regarding fundamental characteristics like colonial lifespan. This review refutes the notion of colonial immortality due to an inverted identification of parent and offspring, advocating instead for viewing a traditional honey bee colony as a matrilineage of mortal superorganisms. By refining the colonial life cycle to trace zygotic, embryonic, fetal, juvenile, and adult stages during superorganismal ontogeny, we extend the animal-superorganism analogy to reveal a viviparous organism engaged in strictly sexual reproduction and complex maternal care. Furthermore, analyzing the multiple pathways to female reproduction reveals that swarming in itself does not represent reproduction, as it precedes fertilization. Under this framework, the prime swarm allows the maternal superorganism to survive reproduction, whereas afterswarms serve to multiply offspring within a single reproductive cycle. These insights have implications for honey bee parasitology, demographic monitoring, and beekeeping management and provide a more rigorous foundation for the superorganism concept applicable to sexually reproducing social insects with queen supersedure or turnover.

Abstract: Background: The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, is a globally significant agricultural pest, with its management increasingly complicated due to the rapid resistance development to chemical acaricides. The application of biological control utilizing predatory mites, particularly Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus, offers a sustainable alternative, but the optimization of release strategies requires the development of quantitative models that effectively integrate predator-prey dynamics. Objective: A biomathematical model, termed the Potential Predation Rate of Release (PPRR), was developed to identify the optimal release rates for the predatory mites Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus, taking into account their population growth dynamics and predation capabilities. Methods: Comprehensive measurements of life table parameters and daily predation rates were conducted for both predators and prey species at temperatures of 20°C, 25°C, and 30°C within controlled laboratory settings. Ratios of the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) of the predator to the prey were integrated with the average daily consumption figures to derive the PPRR. Results: The analysis under varying temperature conditions indicated that the prey species T. urticae exhibited an average intrinsic rate of increase (rm) of 0.180 day⁻¹. In contrast, the predatory species showed higher growth rates, with P. persimilis and N. californicus recording rm values of 0.220 day⁻¹ and 0.231 day⁻¹, respectively. Consequently, the predator-to-prey rm ratios were calculated as 1.22 for P. persimilis and 1.29 for N. californicus. The average daily consumption was recorded at 12.44 prey per individual P. persimilis and 10.13 per individual N. californicus. The PPRR model forecasts that individual predators are capable of regulating populations of 15.18 (P. persimilis) and 13.06 (N. californicus) spider mites on a daily basis. Conclusions: The PPRR model serves as a quantitative and data-driven framework for the optimization of predatory mite release strategies. This approach improves the accuracy and sustainability of biocontrol strategies targeting T. urticae, along with suggestions for field validation to confirm the model's applicability.

Abstract: Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a vital gasotransmitter essential for maintaining redox homeostasis and modulating inflammatory responses. Herein, we examined a collection of Drosophila melanogaster knockout (KO) lines lacking key transsulfuration (cbs, cse) and sulfide metabolism (tst1) genes, generated in our laboratory, to elucidate the role of this adaptive system in immunity. Genetic ablation of these pathways results in profound H₂S deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia, leading to chronic oxidative stress. This leads to constitutive activation of major immune pathways—including IMD, Toll, and JAK-STAT—even in the absence of infection, a hallmark of chronic inflammation. Indeed, transcriptomic analysis and qRT-PCR studies revealed significant upregulation of these pathways in double (cbs;cse) and triple (cbs;cse;tst1) KO flies under control conditions. Following septic injury with Bacillus subtilis, double and triple KO flies exhibited increased expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and pattern recognition receptors compared to control and TST1-/- single KO lines. Notably, double- and triple-KO lines showed more prolonged immune activation. The triple KO flies exhibited the worst survival rate following septic injury. These results demonstrate that H₂S deficiency causes chronic inflammation through the sustained activation of the immune pathways, highlighting sulfur metabolism as a crucial regulator of homeostasis and innate immunity in Drosophila.

Abstract: Flacherie is a major bacterial disease compromising silkworm health and cocoon productivity; however, the diversity and genomic features of larva-associated pathogens remain poorly characterized. In the present study, we isolated and characterized a Gram-negative bacterium, designated Pseudomonas sp. RAC1, from the hemolymph of diseased silkworm larvae. The isolate exhibited clear swimming motility, indicating an active flagellar system. Biochemical profiling using the VITEK-2 platform revealed broad metabolic capabilities, including utilization of multiple organic acids and amino-acids, related enzymatic activities, highlighting its adaptability under nutrient-variable host conditions. Chemotaxonomic analysis using fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiling further supported its identity within the genus Pseudomonas. Whole-genome sequencing showed a 4.49 Mb GC-rich genome encoding diverse functional pathways related to central metabolism, aromatic compound degradation, and carbohydrate-active enzymes, suggesting strong ecological flexibility. Importantly, genomic screening identified multiple virulence-associated genes and a large repertoire of antimicrobial resistance determinants, dominated by efflux pumps and outer membrane permeability factors, which correlated with phenotypic resistance to all tested antibiotics. In addition, RAC1 contained several mobile genetic elements and three prophage regions, reflecting a highly plastic genome. Pangenome analysis across related Pseudomonas strains indicated an open pangenome, driven largely by accessory and cloud genes. Overall, Pseudomonas sp. RAC1 represents a multidrug-resistant and genomically dynamic strain encoding multiple virulence-associated determinants and resistance factors. These genomic features suggest adaptive potential in host-associated environments and require further experimental investigation to evaluate its role in silkworm larval disease.