ABSTRACT:

New evidence is presented to suggest that the monotypic genus Gearum (Araceae) may be truly cantharophilous, not myophilous as suggested before. The credible pollinators in Gearnm brasiliense are large scarab beetles of the species Cyclocepbala celata, which were collected inside floral chambers of inflorescences between the female and the male phases. Along with the direct observations of insects within inflorescences, general floral morphology and construction are used as indirect evidences of a cantharophily pollination syndrome in this aroid genus.