Plants and gall hosts of the Tirimbina Biological Reserve, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica: Combining field sampling with herbarium records

Plant galls recorded from Guanacaste Conservation Area-Costa Rica as an integrated concept of a biological database

Abstract: Galling insects are specialist herbivorous that have the ability of manipulating plant tissue to form complex biological structures called galls. Even though different organisms have the ability to induce galls in plants, insect galls have the highest degree of structural complexity. The main goal of this study was to obtain a preliminary systematic record of plant gall morphotypes from the Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica and integrate the information into a biological database. Plant gall morphotypes were recorded, characterized and deposited into a specialized herbarium established as a reference for the inventory. Moreover, organisms associated with gall morphotypes were included in the inventory when it was possible to obtain and identify them. Galls were collected in the rainy season over a period of three years. In total, we recorded forty-four families, seventy genera, and eighty-seven host plant species. One hundred thirty-one morphotypes of plant galls were identified in the Guanacaste Conservation Area. The family with the highest number of gall morphotypes was Fabaceae (8.4%). Leaves were the organ with the largest number of galls (71%), followed by stems (17.6%), and apical buds (6.9%). The predominant gall shape was globular (25.2%), followed by discoid (18.3%). Fifty-nine percent of the galls had a glabrous texture, which was most common on leaves, with 77%. One hundred twenty of our field records (91.6%) of plant galls were new morphotypes not only for Costa Rica but also the world. As a consequence of this research and considering the prospect of future increases in new gall records (and associated organisms), we proposed having the biological entities resulting from the inventory placed in a cecidiarium. This repository represents a standardized and comprehensive way to manage the data and biological materials associated with the plant galls. We also suggest a nomenclature for standardizing gall morphotype registries and identifications. This work is the first and most detailed inventory of plant galls carried out thus far in the Guanacaste Conservation Area.