Insect galls of Atlantic Forest areas of Serra da Bodoquena (MS, Midwestern Brazil)

Abstract

An inventory of insect galls of Serra da Bodoquena (MS, Midwestern Brazil) was carried out in an area of semideciduous seasonal forest situated in the Califórnia Farm. Three field works were done in August/2011, December/2011 and April/2012, when the local vegetation was examined during 40 hours per expedition. Fifty-eight gall morphotypes were found on 40 host plants, 38 of them native. The host plants are distributed in 18 families. The native plants include eight endemic species in Brazil, which together totaled 14 gall morphotypes. Zanthoxylum L. sp. (Rutaceae), an endemic genus in Brazil, hosts one gall morphotype. The non endemic native plants totaled 26 gall morphotypes. Ten new host plants are recorded for the first time in Brazil. The medium number of gall morphotypes per plant species was 1.45. Salicaceae, Bignoniaceae, and Asteraceae presented the highest number of galled species and the greatest gall richness. Leaves were the most frequent galled plant organ and there was a predominance of globoid galls. Diptera (Cecidomyiidae) were the most frequent gallers, but Hemipteran and Thysanopteran galls were also found. The associated fauna was composed of inquilines (Diptera: Muscomorpha and Cecidomyiidae - Trotteria sp., and Thysanoptera), successors (Psocoptera), and parasitoids (Hymenoptera).

Key words
Host plants; gall richness; morphological characterization; semideciduous seasonal forest