Insectos inductores de agallas en América Latina: ecología, importancia y nuevas perspectivas

Abstract

The induction of galls in plants represents both morphological and physiological changes of plant organs and tissues caused by endophagous insects. In the present study, we review the current advances and challenges for the study of this insect guild as well as estimate the diversity of insect galls and their host plants in Latin America. We found that most studies of gall-inducing insects during the period of 1950-2013 was done in Brazil and Mexico, which together contributed almost 80% of the scientific production in Latin American. In Latin America, galling insects belong mainly to Diptera (500 spp.), Hemiptera (111 spp.), Hymenoptera (36 spp.), Coleoptera (20 spp.), Lepidoptera (19 spp.) and Thysanoptera (2 spp.). Fabaceae and Asteraceae are the main host families of gall-inducing insects. We estimate that it may exist about 15,407 species of gall-inducing insects in Latin America, with Brazil (5,540), Mexico (4,286), Colombia (4,194) and Peru (3,090) having the largest number of species galls expected.