Galls in the Brazilian Coastal Vegetation

Abstract

Brazilian coastal vegetation comprises 480 insect gall morphotypes on 61 plant families and 243 plant species. Myrtaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, and Melastomataceae show the greatest number of galled species and the greatest richness of insect gall morphotypes. The super host plant species are Mikania cf. biformis , Mikania cf. glomerata and Guapira opposita . These plant taxa are among the best represented in restinga ecosystem, suggesting the infl uence of the plant composition on gall diversity. The galls are induced by Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Thysanoptera and Hymenoptera, being the fi rst responsible for the majority of the galls. The galls were found on leaf, bud, stem, fl ower, fruit, tendril, and aerial root. Leaves were the most attacked plant organ, followed by stems, and buds. A rich arthropods fauna has been associated with insect galls. Parasitoids are the most frequent and diversifi ed. They are represented by 15 families of Hymenoptera, being Eulophidae, Eupelmidae, and Platygastridae the most frequent. The predators comprise gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and pseudoscorpions (Olpiidae). Inquilines are represented by six insect orders: Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Thysanoptera. They cause the galler's death, probably due to competition and modifi cations in the microenvironment provided by the gall. Diptera are the most frequent inquilines. Successors are represented by mites, springtails, booklices and ants. The majority of the insect records are presented at suprageneric categories, showing that the taxonomic of galling insects is still poorly studied.

What shapes galling insect–parasitoid interaction networks on closely related host plants?

“…The literature reveals galls in at least 10 Mikania species (Supporting Information S1), with all gallers belonging to the Cecidomyiidae family (Coelho et al, 2013; Diaz et al, 2015; Maia et al, 2008; Maia et al 2014a; Maia, Carvalho‐Fernandes, et al, 2014; Mendonça et al, 2014). Gagné et al (2001) described eight species of insect galls in M. glomerata ; thus, this plant is considered a super‐host.…”

Future Expectations for Gall-Midge Studies in the Oriental Region

“…Following the stimulation of recent progress in gall midge studies in Africa (e.g., Dorchin and Gullan, 2007), Australia (e.g., Kolesik et al, 2005), and South America (e.g., Maia et al, 2014), I expect young Indian entomologists would pay more attention to genetic analysis of the Cecidomyiidae and register the data with GenBank for worldwide use. I also would like to ask the Indian authorities to permit short-term loans of Indian specimens for the purpose of species identification based on morphological and genetic data, with which foreign taxonomists can contribute to increase agricultural productivity in India.…”