First record of Polypedilum mehinaku (Chironomidae) galls induced in the aquatic angiosperm Mourera fluviatilis (Podostemaceae) for Bahia, Brazil

Galls induced by insects on aquatic angiosperms are rare and poorly understood. To expand our knowledge of these galls on aquatic host plants and update the distribution of their gall-inducing insect, we present the first record of Polypedilum mehinaku galls on Mourera fluviatilis in Bahia, thus expanding the area in which the gall-inducing insect is found, whose distribution was restricted to Pará. The galls are globoid, green, unilocular, glabrous, and induced individually along the leaf veins. The results confirm previous records of galls on M. fluviatilis and extend the geographical distribution of the gall-inducing insect in Brazil.

Key words
Atlantic forest; Diptera; Gall-inducing insects-host plant interaction; Macrophyte; Northeast Brazil