Insect-induced galls of the Malabar bioregion, Southern India

Abstract

The Indian subcontinent is home to a rich diversity of gall-inducing insects. We report 87 insect-induced galls collected from the Malabar bioregion, of which 28 are new records. This survey indicated that the Fabaceae included the maximum number of gall-bearing plants. An echinate stem gall on Aporosa lindleyana induced by an unnamed cecidomyiid which appears morphologically similar to the gall on the shoot meristem of Hopea ponga induced by Mangalorea hopeae is reported for the first time. This report offers an insight into the richness of Hymenoptera associated with galls induced by various insects. Parasitic Hymenoptera determined presently as 105 morphospecies have emerged from the galls, a majority of which belong to the Eulophidae (Chalcidoidea). New records of galls indicate novel insect taxa in the Malabar bioregion.

Keywords:

• Aporosa
• hymenopteran parasitoids
• new records
• Cecidomyiidae
• Eulophidae

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to A. Raman (Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, Australia) for critical reviews of this manuscript and valuable insights through the preparation of the manuscript and improving it. We thank Keith M. Harris (former Director of the International Institute of Entomology, London) for reviewing the final manuscript and offering useful remarks. Thanks are due to T.C. Narendran, M. Hayat (Aligarh Muslim University), Santosh Shreevihar, K. Sudheer, P.M. Sureshan (Zoological Survey of India) and A.P. Ranjith for identifying the hymenopteran specimens, R.M. Sharma (Zoological Survey of India) and R. Varatharajan (Manipur Univervsity) for identifying the cecidomyiid and thrips specimens, respectively. We thank A.K. Pradeep for identifying the plant specimens. We acknowledge the help of A.P. Ranjith, K.M. Rajesh and K.M. Shameem for assistance with field collection. We also acknowledge support from MoEF and SAP UGC.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.