Abstract
Abstract: We investigated insect galls in Rupestrian field and Cerrado vegetation in the municipality of Caetité (BA), Brazil, between August/2015 and June/2016. This is the first study of gall diversity in Rupestrian field vegetation in that state. We encountered 48 different morphotypes of galls, distributed among 17 different plant species belonging to 13 genera and 21 host plant families. The greatest gall richness was observed in Cerrado (n=39) as compared to Rupestrian field (n=9) vegetation. The principal botanical families observed with galls were Leguminosae, Malpighiaceae, and Myrtaceae, with 10, 8 and 4 morphotypes, respectively. The genera showing the greatest gall diversity were Copaifera L. (n=6) (Leguminosae-Detarioideae), Croton L. (n=2) (Euphorbiaceae), Mimosa L. (n=2) (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae), Byrsonima Rich. ex Kunth (n=2) (Malpighiaceae), and Eugenia L. (n=2) (Myrtaceae). The super-host species was Copaifera sabulicola J.A.S. Costa & L.P. Queiroz (n= 5). Most galls occurred on leaves, being globoid, glabrous, isolated, and unilocular. Most gall-inducing insect species belong to the Cecidomyiidae family, while the associated fauna was represented by Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. We recorded here for the first time galls on Ocotea velutina (Mart. ex Ness) Rohwer (Lauraceae) and Miconia alborufescens Naudin (Melastomataceae). The results indicate the need for more studies to understand the dynamics of the insect-induced galls in Rupestrian field.
Highlights
Galls are highly specialized structures resulting from the atypical development of plant tissues induced by the presence and activities of nematodes, bacteria, fungi, insects, mites and other plants (Mani, 1964)
The richness of insect galls on Brejinho das Ametistas is greater than that of the other Rupestrian field or Cerrado areas investigated in Brazil (Table 2); the mean of 1.3 gall morphotypes per host plant species was only slightly less than the mean values recorded in other studies, such as that in the Pirapitinga Ecological Station - MG, Caldas Novas - GO (1.6 morphotypes; Santos et al 2012), Cadeia do Espinhaço - MG (1.7 morphotypes; Carneiro et al 2009), and Serra do Cipó – MG (1.8 morphotypes; Coelho et al 2009)
In surveys of entomogenous galls undertaken in different regions of Brazil, the Leguminosae, Malpighiaceae, and Myrtaceae stood out as hosting a rich diversity of gall-inducing insects, with many species bearing galls (e.g., Santos et al 2009, 2011, Coelho et al 2009, Silva et al 2011, Carvalho-Fernandes et al 2012, Luz et al 2012, Santos et al 2012, Maia, 2013a,b, Maia & Fernandes, 2004, Costa et al 2014a, Nogueira et al 2016)
Summary
Galls are highly specialized structures resulting from the atypical development of plant tissues induced by the presence and activities of nematodes, bacteria, fungi, insects, mites and other plants (Mani, 1964). The capacity to induce galls in plants evolved numerous times between and within insect orders, with current representatives of gall-inducing species among the Diptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Thysanoptera (Mani 1964, Espírito-Santo & Fernandes 2007). It is estimated that there are approximately 21,000 to 211,000 species of gall-inducing insects in the world (Espírito-Santo & Fernandes 2007). The known diversity of galls in Brazil is largely based on studies undertaken in Cerrado, Rupestrian field, Cerradão, and dry forest environments in the southeastern region of the country (e.g., Gonçalves-Alvim & Fernandes 2001, Maia & Fernandes 2004, Carneiro et al 2009, Coelho et al 2009, 2013a). In spite of recent progress in studies of gall-inducing insects and their host plants in those ecosystems, there is still much to be discovered concerning their patterns of distribution and diversity, especially in the northeastern region of Brazil. Four inventories of galls in Cerrado phytophysiognomies (Nogueira et al, 2016, Costa 2016) and in Caatinga-Cerrado transition areas (Costa et al 2014a, b) in Bahia State, for example, have so far been undertaken
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