Richness of hymenopterous galls from South America

Abstract

An overview of hymenopterous galls from South America is presented here based on literature as well as on data from the insect gall collection of the Museu Nacional/UFRJ. Seventy-three galls have been recorded on 71 host plants. Myrtaceae and Fabaceae are the plant families with the greatest number of galled species and gall morphotypes. Gall richness per plant species varied from one to two. The stem and bud were the most galled plant organs. The gallers comprise eight hymenopteran families, the best-represented being Eulophidae, Eurytomidae, and Cynipidae. Geographic records are restricted to six countries, and the majority is from Brazil.