ACTINOMYCETES IN FOOD, GUT, AND EXCREMENT OF SOIL MILLIPEDE PACHYIULIS-FLAVIPES KOCH,C.L.

The composition of actinomycete communities associated with the food, gut, and feces of the soil millipede Pachyiulis flavipes was studied u sing plating on selective media and scanning electron microscopy. In t he gut, actinomycetes accounted for 2 - 10% of the total amount of col ony-forming units of bacteria. Streptomycetes and coryneform bacteria of the group Promicromonospora - Oerskovia predominated among actinomy cetes. The actinomycetes were shown to colonize the intestine surface, gut content, and remains of the peritrophic membrane, forming mycelia l and V-like structures. The maximum colonization density was found in the hindgut of millipedes. A certain functional interaction exists be tween actinomycetes and the host organism. The actinomycete community present in food changed its structure when passing through the gut of millipedes; the number of actinomycetes of a particular genera in fres h excrement could be higher, lower, or the same as in food. This indic ates development of an actinomycete population in the gut of millipede s. The relative proportion of coryneform bacteria increased in excreme nt.