INSECT GALLS FROM SERRA DE SÃO JOSÉ ( TIRADENTES , MG , BRAZIL

One hundred thirty-seven morphotypes of insect galls were found on 73 plant species (47 genera and 30 families) in Serra de São José, in Tiradentes, MG, Brazil. Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Asteraceae, and Melastomataceae were the plant families that supported most of the galls (49.6% of the total). Galls were mostly found on leaves and stems (66.4% and 25.5%, respectively). Galls were induced by Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera (Sternorrhyncha), Hymenoptera, and Thysanoptera. The majority of them (73.7%) were induced by gall midges (Cecidomyiidae: Diptera). Besides the gall inducers, other insects found associated with the galls were parasitoids (Hymenoptera), inquilines (Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Hemiptera), and predators (Diptera).

Galling insects are most species-rich in the rupestrian fields and in the cerrado (savanna) vegetation of neotropical southeastern Brazil (Fernandes & Price, 1988;Lara & Fernandes, 1996).Despite their richness, little is known about the taxonomy of these galling species.
We surveyed the Serra de São José, an area of rupestrian fields and cerrado in the State of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil (21 o 03-07'S and 44 o 06-13'W) in an attempt to broaden our knowledge of galling species diversity in the Brazilian cerrado.The serra is a 15 km long mountain range, 900 to 1,430 m above sea level, running from WSW to ENE at the contact zone of two main mountain chains: the Espinhaço Range which extends northward and the Serra da Mantiqueira running from south and west (Alves, 1992).The local climate is classified as Cwa (continental with dry winter).Absolute temperatures oscillate greatly, thus constituting a stress factor for plant species (Alves, op. cit.).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The Serra of São José was investigated for galls over a period of 12 months from August 2001 to July 2002.Collections were made monthly along three pathways: the access roads to "Cachoeira do Mangue" (hereafter CM), "Calçada da Serra" (hereafter CS), and "Cachoeira do Bom Despacho" (hereafter BD) (Fig. 1).The vegetation was examined along each pathway for ca.8 hours per visit.All plant organs were investigated, except for the roots.Samples of host plants, preferably in the fertile state, were pressed in the field.The Asteraceae species were identified by Roberto L. Steves (Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and all other plant species by Ruy J. Válka Alves (Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, hereafter MNRJ, Brazil).Voucher specimens were included in the Herbarium (R) whenever fertile plant material was collected.Authors and scientific plant names were checked on "mobot.mobot.org".
The galls were photographed and the negatives organized into an archive.Samples of dried galls were incorporated in the Diptera collection of MNRJ.
Immature insects were obtained by from the dissection of each kind of gall under a stereoscopic microscope.This procedure also enabled insect habit determination (whether of inquilines, predators, parasitoids, or galling species).
Pupal exuviae and adults were obtained by keeping samples of each gall individually in plastic pots layered at the bottom with damp cotton and covered by fine screening.Galls of the species whose larvae pupate in the soil were kept in pots with a layer of soil on the botton.All pots were checked daily.
All material is deposited in the collections of MNRJ, except part of the Coleoptera, Chloropidae (Diptera), and Lepidoptera samples which were donated to S. Vanin, L. De Bruyn, and V. Becker, respectively.

RESULTS
One hundred thirty-seven (137) morphotypes of insect galls were found in the Serra de São José.They were induced by species of Diptera (Cecidomyiidae, Tephritidae, and Muscomorpha), Hemiptera (Sternorrhyncha), Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Thysanoptera, and Hymenoptera (Table 1).The Cecidomyiidae were the most common gall inducers, being responsible for 73.7% of the recorded galls.The Lepidoptera was second, with only 7.3%.The galling species were associated with 73 species of plants belonging to 47 genera and 30 families.Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Asteraceae, and Melastomataceae were the plant families with the greatest gall richness of galls, with 20, 18, 16, and 14 kinds of gall, respectively.These four families comprised about 49.6% (N = 68) of all galls (Table 2).Galls induced by Cecidomyiidae were frequent on almost all plant families.Only in the Melastomataceae the trend was toward the induction by lepidopterans (50%).
Most galls were induced on leaves (66.4%).The stem was the second most attacked plant organ (25.5%), followed by buds (13.1%), petiole (2.2%), and flower bud or inflorescence (1.4%).None of the studied galls occurred on fruits; roots were not investigated.The majority of the gall inducers attacked a specific plant part, but some of them (N = 9) attacked simultaneously two or three plant parts (Table 3).
In addition to the gall formers, other insects were also found in the galls.These were classified as parasitoids, inquilines, or predators.
The majority of the gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) from Serra de São José showed only one generation per year and almost all of the galls were rare.Hence, few samples were obtained and many gall midges were, thus, not determined.Rübsaamen, 1916;Dasineura Rondani, 1840;Lopesia Rübsaamen, 1908;Myrciariamyia Maia, 1994;Neolasioptera Felt, 1908;Stephomyia Tavares, 1916;and Zalepidota Rübsaamen, 1907.Among them, the most common genus was Neolasioptera with 6 species (galling species).Asphondylia, Contarinia, Dasineura, Neolasioptera, and Stephomyia species had already been recorded for the State of Minas Gerais (Fernandes et al., 1988;Maia et al., 2002), but these are the first records of Clinodiplosis, Dactylodiplosis, Lopesia, and Myrciariamyia species for this state.As no previous gall survey was done in Serra de São José, all records are new for this locality.

N. species as Insect taxon
Gall inducer Inquiline Predator Parasitoid Total Data on insect galls are presented here under host plant species in alphabetical order and include their description, galling species identification, other associated insects, period of gall occurrence, site of collection (CS, CM, and BD), and deposited material (galls).
Comments: first records of gall on Baccharis microcephala.
Comments: first records of gall on Baccharis reticularia.
Comments: Maia (2001) recorded a marginal leaf roll and a conical leaf gall perpendicular to the leaf surface on the same plant species for restinga of Barra de Maricá (Maricá, RJ).
listed 121 kinds of insect galls on Baccharis spp., including B. serrulata.