The insect gall collection of the Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro: biome cerrado, rupestrian fields

Abstract

An inventory of the insect gall from Brazilian savanna (Cerrado) was elaborated based on samples of the collection of the Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Data on localities and host plants were obtained from the labels and information about the gall morphology (plant organ of occurrence, shape, and presence of trichomes) by observing the samples. The galling species was determined based on the literature. The collection includes 131 morphotypes of galls from Cerrado, obtained from 71 host plant species distributed in 50 genera and 30 botanical families (Table 1). All galls were collected in rupestrian fields (a rare vegetation physiognomy of the Brazilian Cerrado) in the state of Minas Gerais. As the collection comprises a great diversity of insect galls, it can be considered representative of this physiognomy.Keywords: insect galls, host plants, rupestrian fields, inventory. A coleção de galhas de insetos do Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro: bioma cerrado, campos rupestres ResumoUm levantamento de galhas de insetos do Cerrado brasileiro foi elaborado baseado em amostras da coleção do Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Dados de localidades e plantas hospedeiras foram obtidos das etiquetas e informações sobre a morfologia da galha (órgão vegetal de ocorrência, forma, e presença de tricomas) pela observação da amostra. As espécies galhadoras foram determinadas baseadas em literatura. A coleção inclui 131 morfotipos de galhas de Cerrado, obtidos de 71 espécies de plantas hospedeiras, distribuídas em 50 gêneros e 30 famílias botânicas (Tabela 1). Todas as galhas foram coletadas em campos rupestres (uma fisionomia vegetal rara do cerrado brasileiro) do Estado de Minas Gerais. Como a coleção compreende grande diversidade de galhas de insetos, pode ser considerada representativa para essa fisionomia.Palavras-chave: galhas de insetos, plantas hospedeiras, campos rupestres, inventário.

Occurrence and characterization of insect galls in the Floresta Nacional de Silvânia, Brazil

“…The region is composed by many different types of veg- (Oliveira-Filho & Ratter, 2002), turning the region in a mosaic of xeric (i.e., poor in water and nutrients) and mesic vegetation (i.e., rich in water and nutrients). Because of this great structural and floristic diversity the Cerrado is one of the hotspots of insect gall diversity in the globe (Araújo et al, 2014a), which justify the efforts to diminish temporal and spatial gaps in the group sampling (e.g., Araújo, 2011;Maia et al, 2014).…”

Insect galls of the Chapada Diamantina, Rio de Contas, Bahia, Brazil

“…The Caatinga biome is a complex of semi-arid habitats, with low, often irregular rainfall, in which many plant species are strongly deciduous (Queiroz et al, 2017). These peculiarities of the Caatinga cause a drastic reduction in the quantity and quality of available resources for insects that induce galls preferentially on leaves (Maia et al, 2014).…”

A compilation of host plants and their gall-inducing insects for the Caatinga Biome

“…During the dry season in the Caatinga, many species lose their leaves, constituting a strongly deciduous vegetation (Queiroz et al 2017). Insects induce galls preferentially on the leaves (e.g., about 60%, see Maia et al 2014), compared to other organs of the host plant. Consequently, there is a drastic reduction in the quantity and quality of resources available to galling insects, e.g., meristematic tissues.…”