The continuing devastation of natural habitats is still one of the most important and acute challenges that wildlife conservation programs are presented with in the contemporary world. The insistent encroachment of agricultural lands, the irrepressible expansion of urban areas, and the widespread deforestation for various uses, including logging and mining activities, has all contributed heavily to the destruction and subdivision of critical biotas that are necessary for sustaining a rich diversity of forms of life. With the human population expanding continuously at unprecedented levels, it is almost inevitable that the rate of contacts between humans and a rich diversity of animal forms increases proportionally. This increased contact between humans and a large number of animal forms causes a substantial increase in rates of disease transmission among different animal populations that also brings with it the potential for those diseases to get transmitted to humans. Therefore, this highlights disease monitoring and management as important and priority domains of wildlife conservation programs that are necessary for containing and reducing risks posed by these diseases. Early detection of outbreaks of emergent diseases by properly organized and effective monitoring programs can be capable of having a pivotal role to play in preventing future epidemics by allowing for instantaneous and effective responses to be taken everywhere and anywhere that they are required.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are considered the largest and most variable family of transmembrane receptors regulating physiological processes such as toxicological responses and insecticide resistance development. The present study investigated the responses of Methuselah (Mth), belonging to GPCR family B in the Diamondback Moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, to chlorantraniliprole (CAP). Genome-wide identification and phylogenetic analysis of Pxmth genes revealed their evolutionary relationships and functional classifications. Expression profiling demonstrated significant overexpression of Pxmth2 in the CAP-resistant strain. Additionally, the tertiary and secondary structures of Pxmth2 were characterized, providing insights into its functional role. Silencing Pxmth2 via RNA interference (RNAi) reduced resistance of DBM to CAP and suppressed downstream stress-associated genes (CYP6B6, CYP6B7, CYP6BF1), increasing susceptibility to the insecticide. The function of Pxmth2 was further explored using a transgenic line of Drosophila melanogaster engineered to overexpress the gene; flies overexpressing Pxmth2 exhibited a significantly increased resistance to CAP compared to controls. These findings indicate that Pxmth2 contributes to CAP resistance in DBM and highlights potential molecular targets for improving pest management strategies.