Phlogacanthus curviflorus, a New Host for Contarinia maculipennis and Haplothrips ganglebaueri
摘要
Phlogacanthus curviflorus is an economically important plant species of northeast India. Flowers of this species is consumed and locally sold in Assam, India. This is the first record on floral gall formation on P. curviflorus by Contarinia maculipennis in Assam. Furthermore, Haplothrips ganglebaueri was found in the leftover gall, confirming the family Acanthaceae as its new host. Gall-inducing insects like C. maculipennis are significant because they act as ecosystem engineers by inducing gall formation that alter plant physiology of P. curviflorus and provide microhabitats for H. ganglebaueri, thereby influencing ecological interactions and food webs. The record of floral gall formation on P. curviflorus by C. maculipennis and the association of H. ganglebaueri with these galls significantly expand the known host ranges of both species, demonstrating their polyphagous nature and adaptability to new plant families such as Acanthaceae. These findings highlight the dynamic and evolving patterns of host specificity in both insects, underlining their ecological flexibility and potential for further host expansion.