Insect galls associated with Copaifera sabulicola J.A.S Costa & L.P Queiroz (Fabaceae): Characterization and new records

Abstract

Among the plant diversity of the Cerrado, the genus Copaifera is commonly associated with galling insects. Here, we expand the knowledge about insect galls on Copaifera sabulicola J.A.S Costa & L.P. Queiroz (Fabaceae) by characterizing their occurrence in a stricto sensu vegetation area of the Brazilian Cerrado, Western Bahia, Brazil throughout the year. We randomly sampled 60 branches (50 cm long) from individuals of C. sabulicola, from April 2015 to March 2016. We found 11 morphotypes for C. sabulicola, of which 5 are new records. Further, we identified six gall-inducing insects, all belonging to Cecidomyiidae family. Regarding other arthropods associated with C. sabulicola, we observed inquilines, successors, and parasitoids, belonging to the orders Collembola, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera and Acari. The parasitoid fauna included three families of the order Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Encyrtidae and Eulophidae.

From leaves to inflorescences: Gall induction of Iatrophobia brasiliensis Rübsaamen, 1915 on inflorescences of Manihot caerulescens Pohl (Euphorbiaceae) during the dry season

“…The arthropod fauna associated with M. caerulescens galls belonged to eight orders: Acarina, Araneae, Coleoptera, Collembola, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera and Thysanoptera. Parasitoids have been considered the most frequent natural enemies of gall-inducing insects in different Brazilian formations (Lima and Calado, 2018;Santos et al, 2018;Soares et al, 2021) and were induced by Hymenoptera, considered the order with the highest number of natural enemies of gall inducers (Lima and Calado, 2018;Maia, 2013b). The tenants were represented by cecidomyids, which was observed by Urso-Guimarães et al ( 2017), who recorded the tenant Camptoneuromyia Felt, 1908 (Cecidomyiidae) in galls of M. tripartita in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso do Sul.…”

“…Insect galls can occur on any host plant organ, from roots to reproductive structures, but they are more common on aerial structures of host plants, especially on the leaves (Santos and Ribeiro, 2016;Soares et al, 2021). Scareli-Santos et al (2018) noted that this may be related to the fact that leaves occupy the same environment as most insects and also because it is an organ that is more exposed when compared to others, in addition to presenting high morphological plasticity and its important role for photosynthesis (Mani, 1964;Maia, 2013b;Santana et al, 2020).…”