Abstract
Several studies have indicated a worldwide trend for higher gall-forming insect richness on sclerom orphic vegetation growing in infertile soils. The goal of this study was to survey the gall-forming insect fauna in the varzea, a seasonally flooded forest in the Amazonian region. Samples were taken at Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, AM , Brazil. 21,098 insect galls belonging to 236 morphotypes were found on 242 tree crowns. The number of gall morphotypes was correlated with the number of plants sampled and gall abundance. Contrary to the predictions, we found a high richness and abundance of galling insects in the
 varzea, a non-scleromorphic vegetation that grow in fertile soils. The explanation to the trends found may lie on plant physiological
 adaptations to flooding and occurrence of different plant communities due to different flood levels and flooding time extents, or even due to the harsh conditions found in the upper canopy.
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