Characterization of entomogenic galls in areas of seasonal deciduous forest in Southwestern Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

Galls are small structures induced mostly by insects in different plant organs, and have different shapes and colorations. Knowledge on galls is still sparse in the semiarid region of Bahia. Therefore, the goal of this study was to characterize galls in fragments of seasonal deciduous forest. Sampling was performed in the Bahia municipalities of Boa Nova, Jequié, Poções and Vitória da Conquista. In each site, one fragment was chosen, and in each fragment, plots were established to survey galls on vegetation. We sampled 158 gall morphotypes, representing 49 (morpho) species distributed across 15 families of host plants. Myrtaceae and Malphigiaceae had the highest numbers of gall morphotypes. Most galls were collected from leaves, whereas the most common gall morphotypes were globoid and fusiform.