Insect gall occurrence in cerrado sensu stricto areas in the Parque Estadual Veredas do Peruaçu, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Silva Júnior J.O.; Grandez-Rios J.M.; Oliveira B.M.; dos Santos Costa K.C.; Santos de Araújo W. · Revista Brasileira de Entomologia (2026) · DOI: 10.1590/1806-9665-rbent-2025-0115

Resumen

In the present study, we present the first inventory of gall-inducing arthropods in cerrado sensu stricto areas of the Parque Estadual Veredas do Peruaçu, northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Field surveys were conducted in 15 plots (10 × 10 m each) sampled in November 2018 (rainy season) and August 2019 (dry season) to record the diversity of galls and their host plants. A total of 33 gall morphotypes were recorded in 23 host plant species from 13 botanical families. Fabaceae (nine morphotypes), Vochysiaceae (six), and Malpighiaceae (five) were the most diverse families, and Copaifera oblongifolia was the plant species with the highest gall richness (five morphotypes). The majority of galls were globoid or lenticular in shape and occurred mainly on leaves. Dipterans of the family Cecidomyiidae were the most frequent gall inducers, representing 19 out of the 20 identified taxa. Despite the low number of morphotypes compared to other Cerrado inventories, this study records three host plant species of insect galls for the first time and adds seven new gall morphotypes to the literature. This study expands the geographical coverage of gall inventories in the Cerrado and contributes to a better understanding of host–gall inductor associations in an underexplored area, providing valuable baseline data for future ecological and conservation research.