Floral herbivory in Chamaecrista trachycarpa (Vog.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby, in an area of “campo natural” (Telêmaco Borba, Pr, Brazil)

Abstract

The genus Chamaecrista Moench is included in the Leguminosae family, subfamily Caesalpinoideae, tribe Cassieae. Studies on herbivory and oviposition in fruits of this genus, or in genera of the same tribe, demonstrate interactions with insects of the order Coleoptera, more specifically of the bruchines (Chrysomelidae), but there are few records on floral herbivory. The purpose of this work was to verify the presence of floral herbivory and list the herbivorous insects of Chamaecrista trachycarpa (Vog.) H. S. Irwin & Barneby. The experiment was carried out on a native grassland area of the Ecological Park of Klabin, in Telêmaco Borba, PR, a region characterized by the transition between the semi-deciduous seasonal forest and the mixed ombrophilous forest. Three inflorescences were randomly collected from 15 plants, in the morning and in the afternoon period, during three days in March 2008. Two thousand one hundred and fifty-six (2156) flowers were collected, 38.5% presenting herbivory. One hundred and fifty-seven (157) insects were collected, most of them in the afternoon period. Coleoptera represented 146 and the others consisted of ants and young forms of hemipteras. The most representative family was the Chrysomelidae (Eumolpinae) with a number of 124, followed by Curculionidae, with a number of 22. Coleoptera, especially the subfamily Eumolpinae, can be indicated as the main Chamaecrista herbivory insects.