Coleopterous galls from the Neotropical region

Abstract

Data on Neotropical coleopterous galls were compiled from the literature, which showed that 82 galls have so far been recorded among 77 plant species. The Fabaceae and Asteraceae plant families display the greatest richness in galls. Most galls are induced on stems or buds, while leaves constitute the second most attacked plant organ. Only 16 coleopteran gallers have been identified at the species level; most records are presented at the order level. The identified species belong to four families: Apionidae, Buprestidae, Curculionidae and Erirhinidae. The galls are found in Argentina, Brazil, Belize, Chile, Colombia (probably), Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela. Eighteen species of Coleoptera are inquilines of galls and are associated with 18 plant species, most frequently with Asteraceae, Melastomataceae and Fabaceae. The inquilines were recorded mainly in leaf galls induced by Cecidomyiidae (Diptera). The identity of these weevils is poorly known. General data indicate a lack of taxonomic studies in the Neotropical region.

Insect galls from Córdoba, central Argentina: a case where stem galls predominate

“…Our results identify Diptera, particularly the family Cecidomyiidae, as the most speciesrich group, which is in agreement with different studies from across the globe (Mani, 1964;Fernandes et al, 2002;Espírito-Santo & Fernandes, 2007;Quintero et al, 2014;Gagné & Jaschhof, 2017;Urso-Guimarães, Castello, Kataoka, & Kochk, 2017). Specific identification of gall midges is very difficult given the scarce knowledge there is about the group in South America (Maia, 2012). In Córdoba, only seven out of 38 gall morphotypes induced by Cecidomyiidae are species properly described, the rest being unknown, even at the generic level.…”

Los insectos galícolas en Schinus fasciculata (Anacardiaceae) en el Espinal del centro de Argentina

“…En la región Neotropical, Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) es el grupo con mayor cantidad de especies galícolas, seguido por especies de los órdenes Hemiptera, Lepidoptera y Coleoptera (mAiA, 2006(mAiA, , 2012.…”

Description of the larva and pupa of Apion brevicorne Gerstaecker, 1854 (Coleoptera: Brentidae: Apioninae) with biological information

“…Larvae feed on a variety of plant parts, including roots, inflorescences, seeds, and other tissues where they are endophagous and often form galls (Alonso-Zarazaga & Wanat, 2014;De Sousa et al, 2019). The most diverse group of apionines (supertribe Apionitae) feed on at least 23 families (15 orders) of angiosperms, including the widespread plant family Fabaceae (Anderson & Kissinger, 2002;Badenes-Perez & Jhonson, 2007;Lima et al, 2008;Maia, 2012;Alonso-Zarazaga & Wanat, 2014). With a total of around 2,200 described species (Alonso-Zarazaga & Wanat, 2014), they are reasonably well-known elsewhere, while in the Neotropical Region the Apioninae and their host associations are poorly known (Alonso-Zarazaga & Wanat, 2014).…”