Diversity of insect galls associated with coastal shrub vegetation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

Surveys in the coastal sandy plains (restingas) of Rio de Janeiro have shown a great richness of galls. We investigated the galling insects in two preserved restingas areas of Rio de Janeiro state: Parque Estadual da Costa do Sol and Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Caruara. The collections were done each two months, from June 2011 to May 2012. We investigated 38 points during 45 minutes each per collection. The galls were taken to the laboratory for rearing the insects. A total number of 151 insect galls were found in 82 plant species distributed into 34 botanic families. Most of the galls occurred on leaves and the plant families with the highest richness of galls were Myrtaceae and Fabaceae. All the six insect orders with galling species were found in this survey, where Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) was the main galler group. Hymenoptera and Thysanoptera were found as parasitoids and inquilines in 29 galls. The richness of galls in the surveyed areas reveals the importance of restinga for the composition and diversity of gallinducing insect fauna.

Morphological characterization of insect galls and new records of associated invertebrates in a Cerrado area in Bahia State, Brazil

“…Microhymenoptera species are frequently found on galls induced by Cecidomyiidae, acting most often as parasitoids, and in some cases as phytophagous, capable of even modifying the structure and morphology of galls (Maia and Azevedo, 2009;Carvalho-Fernandes et al, 2016). For Restinga areas, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Maia and Azevedo (2009) verified that the great majority of micro-hymenoptera was parasitoid, but some of them, for example Tanaostigmatidae and few species of Torymidae and Eulophidae were inquilines of galls.…”

New geographic records of four species of Asphondyliini (Insecta, Diptera, Cecidomyiidae)

“…Asphondylia cordiae (Fig. 2) was previously known from El Salvador: La Liberdad (Tropical Forest); and Brazil: Rio de Janeiro: Arraial do Cabo (Atlantic Forest, Restinga), Cabo Frio (Atlantic Forest, Restinga), Araruama (Atlantic Forest, Restinga), Saquarema (Atlantic Forest, Restinga), Maricá (Atlantic Forest, Restinga), Carapebus (Atlantic Forest, Restinga), São Francisco de Itabapoana (Atlantic Forest, Tabuleiro Forest); São Paulo: Bertioga (Atlantic Forest, Restinga) (Möhn 1959;Maia 2001;Monteiro et al 2004;Maia et al 2008;Maia 2013;Maia and Souza 2013;Maia and Carvalho-Fernandes 2016;Carvalho-Fernandes et al 2016). In these papers, the following synonyms of the host plants can be found: Cordia dentata Poir.…”

<i>Leptocybe invasa </i>(HYMENOPTERA: EULOPHIDAE) EM MUDAS DE EUCALIPTO NO ESTADO DE SANTA CATARINA, BRASIL

“…Insect pests have been reported damaging forest plantations, including Eucalyptus in several countries (DOOLEY; SIX; POWELL, 2015; FRANÇOIS; THIFFAULT, 2015). Gall-inducers of the Hymenoptera are pests for this plant (CARVALHO-FERNANDES et al, 2016). The feeding habits of gall-inducers change the anatomy of host plant tissues in response to damage (DIAS et al, 2013).…”