New records and expansion of the geographic distribution of gall inducers of the family Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) associated to Andira Lam. (Fabaceae) species in Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT Galls are structures of vegetal tissue modified by several biological agents, mainly dipterans of the Cecidomyiidae family. The galls are indicators of the gall inducers’ presence, because of the species-specific interaction between the gall inducer and its host plant species. The aim of this study was to expand the geographical distribution of cecidomyiids – usually known only to the type-locality – in species of Andira Lam. (Fabaceae) distributed in Brazil, through the presence of their gall morphotypes in host plants. We searched for records of gall morphotypes in Andira species in all inventories of insect galls in Brazilian biomes and in virtual herbaria in Brazilian and abroad institutions. We found six species of Andira with forty-nine registers of 20 morphotypes of galls induced by cecidomyiids. They were from 35 localities; of those, 15 Municipalities, five States and the Federal District are new points of occurrence. We found three new registers for the fusiform gall in A. fraxinifolia, four registers for the fusiform gall in A. humilis, two new registers for the lenticular gall in A. nitida, and six new registers for three morphotypes in A. vermifuga. No new records were found for the morphotypes of A. cujabensis and A. surinamensis. These results indicate that digital tools, combined with well-illustrated inventory data, are capable to expand knowledge about the distribution of cecidomyiids through the recognition of their specific marker, the morphotypes.