Characterization of insect galls, gall makers, and associated fauna of Platô Bacaba (Porto de Trombetas, Pará, Brazil)

Abstract

Seventy six morphotypes of insect galls were found on 38 plant species and one subspecies distributed among 27 genera and 22 families in Platô Bacaba (Porto de Trombetas, Pará, Brazil). The majority of these galls (about 80%) occurred on leaves and 20% on stems. Burseraceae was the plant family with the greatest number of gall morphotypes (N = 23), followed by Fabaceae (N = 11) and Melastomataceae (N = 6). Protium Burm. f. (N = 17), Inga Miller (N = 8), and Tetragastris Gaertn (N = 6) were the plant genera, and Protium sagotianum Marchand (N = 7), Tetragastris panamensis (N = 6), and Miconia stenostachya DC. (N = 5) were the plant species that supported the highest diversity of galls. The galling inducers belong to Diptera (Cecidomyiidae) and Lepidoptera orders. Galls of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera and Thysanoptera were not found. This study adds evidences that Diptera (Cecidomyiidae) are the most frequent galling insects in different zoogeographical regions.