Abstract
We surveyed insect galls in an area of Cerrado sensu stricto and Gallery forest in the municipality of Caetité (BA) to contribute to current knowledge of the local flora and its associated gall-inducing insects. Monthly collections were made between February/2015 and January/2016, totaling 12 field campaigns (involving two or three people and lasting four hours) that followed an established path through the countryside. A total of 63 gall morphotypes were identified on 47 host plant species belonging to 22 families; 17 morphotypes were found in the Gallery forest and 46 in Cerrado vegetation. The plant families showing the greatest gall richness were Leguminosae (n=15), Myrtaceae (n=9), and Asteraceae (n=7). The species with the greatest number of galls was Mimosa gemmulata Barneby (Leguminosae) (n=3). Most galls were observed on leaves (66%) and stems (24%); they were mostly green (49.3%) or brown (26%), with globoid shapes (39.7%) or marginal roll (17.4%), and were unilocular (87%), glabrous (62%) and isolated (89%). Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) were the principal gall-inducing insects. The associated fauna was principally composed of Hymenoptera. Eight plant taxa were recorded for the first time as hosts of galling fauna.
Highlights
Many insect species associate with plants to increase their chances of survival
Leguminosae, Myrtaceae, and Asteraceae served as hosts for the largest variety of gall morphotypes along the Jacaraci trail; they are among the principal families bearing galls in different Brazilian ecosystems, especially the Cerrado (GonçalvesAlvim and Fernandes 2001, Urso-Guimarães and Scareli-Santos 2006, Araújo et al 2012) (Table II)
The Leguminosae hosted the greatest diversity of gall morphotypes in Cerrado areas (Gonçalves-Alvim and Fernandes 2001, Araújo et al 2011, Luz et al 2012)
Summary
Many insect species associate with plants to increase their chances of survival Those interactions between insect and their host plants can be mutualistic, benefiting both of the associated. Gall-inducing insects are excellent examples of parasites that induce morphological and anatomical alterations in plant tissues or organs through processes of hyperplasia and hypertrophy (Mani 1964). These processes are stimulated by mechanical or chemical factors originated from the insects (Hori 1992), and can interfere with the flux of the photosynthates and nutrients produced by those plants (Schoonhoven et al 2005). Additional studies have focused on the importance of galls as bioindicators (Moreira et al 2007, Oliveira 2009)
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