Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in a Semideciduous Forest Reserve in Southeastern Brazil Carolina Cardoso, Fernando Silveira
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Nesting biology of two species of Megachile (Moureapis) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in a semideciduous forest reserve in southeastern Brazil Carolina Cardoso, Fernando Silveira To cite this version: Carolina Cardoso, Fernando Silveira. Nesting biology of two species of Megachile (Moureapis) (Hy- menoptera: Megachilidae) in a semideciduous forest reserve in southeastern Brazil. Apidologie, Springer Verlag, 2011, 43 (1), pp.71-81. 10.1007/s13592-011-0091-z. hal-01003630 HAL Id: hal-01003630 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01003630 Submitted on 1 Jan 2011 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Apidologie (2012) 43:71–81 Original article * INRA, DIB-AGIB and Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2011 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-011-0091-z Nesting biology of two species of Megachile (Moureapis) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in a semideciduous forest reserve in southeastern Brazil Carolina F. CARDOSO, Fernando A. SILVEIRA Laboratório de Sistemática e Ecologia de Abelhas, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Caixa postal 486, CEP: 30.123-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil Received 27 October 2010 – Revised 20 June 2011 – Accepted 11 July 2011 Abstract – Nests of Megachile (Moureapis) benigna and Megachile (Moureapis) maculata were obtained during a 12-month trap-nesting program in a semideciduous forest reserve in southeastern Brazil. Trap nests were bamboo culms wider than those usually used in trap-nesting studies and it is suggested that species of Moureapis may prefer to nest in wide cavities. Nest construction was concentrated in the warm rainy season, but M. benigna had a secondary peak of nesting activity in the mid dry season, suggesting it is a bivoltine species. No species occupied the entire length of trap nests, but several linear series of cells were frequently packed inside a single culm. Nests of M. benigna were parasitized by one unidentified species of Coelioxys. Unidentified chalcidoid wasps emerged from some nests and phorid flies emerged from another one. In both cases, the developing host bees were killed. An unidentified conopid fly emerged from an adult female M. maculata found dead inside an incomplete nest. Atlantic forest / wild bees / bionomy / nest materials / trap nests 1. INTRODUCTION Although their nests are usually inconspicuous in the wild, studying Megachile nesting biology is Species of Megachile (Megachilidae) occur facilitated because females of many of their practically all over the world and are wide- species readily accept trap nests made of drilled spread in Brazil where the genus is represented wooden blocks or bamboo culms (e.g., Krombein by 161 species (Silveira et al. 2002). Females of 1967;Laroca1971; Strickler et al. 1996; Pitts- most species in the genus use leaf pieces Singer and Cane 2011). Although Megachile (sometimes flower petals) to build their nests nesting ecology has been reasonably well studied (e.g., Michener 1953, 2007; Krombein 1967)in in Europe and North America (e.g., Michener pre-existing cavities, such as slits in rocks or 1953; Hobbs and Lilly 1954;Krombein1967; burrows in the ground, dead wood, or man-made Richards 1978; Eickwort et al. 1981;Raw1984, objects (Michener 2007). However, Eickwort et 1988; Williams et al. 1986;Caneetal.1996; al. (1981) suggested that excavation of nests in Barthell et al. 1998;KempandBosch2000; the soil by female Megachile maybemuchmore Armbrust 2004; Jenkins and Matthews 2004; common than once supposed. Pitts-Singer and Cane 2011), it has been poorly investigated in Brazil with few works published, Corresponding author: F.A. Silveira, frequently with only incomplete information (von [email protected] Ihering 1904;Laroca1971, 1987; Blochtein and Manuscript editor: Stan Schneider Wittmann 1988;MartinsandAlmeida1994; 72 C.F. Cardoso and F.A. Silveira Almeida et al. 1997; Zillikens and Steiner 2004). Trap nests were hollow bamboo culms with one For the subgenus Moureapis, only fragmentary open end. Originally intended to collect euglos- information is available on nests of a single sine nests (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossina), species (Megachile apicipennis Schrottky, 1902) they were about 21 cm long, with diameters (von Ihering 1904;Laroca1991). Moreover, varying between 1.5 and 3.5 cm, wider than Buschini et al. (2009) made a study of the pollen generally used in trap-nesting studies. Bundles deposited in 16 nests of an unidentified species of with six culms situated horizontally were tied to this subgenus. tree trunks, about 1.5 m above the soil surface, Although countless parasites attack nests of three facing one arbitrarily chosen direction and bees (e.g., Krombein 1967), knowledge on the three facing the opposite direction. These bundles infestation of neotropical species is scarce were set at 10-m intervals along three trails inside (Genaro 1996). Several insect groups have been the forest. recorded in association with nests of Megachile. Because no direct observation could be made Among the most common are the cleptoparasitic to verify that cells within a single bamboo culm bees of the genus Coelioxys (Megachilidae, were constructed by the same females, from here Megachilini; e.g., Michener 1953; Krombein on, a single row of cells will be called a “cell 1967; Blochtein and Wittmann 1988;Yanega series”,and“trap nest” will refer to a single 1994; Krombein and Norden 1995; Scott et al. bamboo culm, which thus may contain several cell 2000; Morato 2003; Zillikens and Steiner 2004) series of a single female or represent a multiple and chalcidoid wasps (Chalcidoidea; Peck 1969). nest used by different females. Moreover, some species of Diptera (e.g., Con- A total of 276 trap nests were kept in the field opidae) have been recorded as parasitoids of between May 2002 and May 2003. They were adults (e.g., Krombein 1967;Doroshina1991). inspected monthly starting in June 2002. Culms Nests and some aspects of the nesting biology occupied by bee nests were collected and taken to of two species of Megachile (Moureapis)Raw, the laboratory. New empty culms were used to 2002 obtained in trap nests are described here as replace those collected. Culms occupied by termite a contribution to the knowledge of the or ant nests were cleaned and left in the bundles. neotropical species of this subgenus. When a female bee was observed actively nesting, the culm she was using was left in the field until the 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS next inspection in the following month. In November, the trap nests were not inspected. In the laboratory, culms brought from the field Data were collected at the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural “Estação Ambiental de Peti” were open longitudinally and each cell series found (Private Reserve of Natural Heritage “Peti Environ- inside was kept in a glass assay tube plugged with a mental Station”; from now on, “Peti”), which is a cotton wad. The nests were examined daily for semideciduous forest reserve owned by the Minas emergence, except on weekends. All insects emerg- Gerais State Energy Company (CEMIG). The 605-ha ing from the nests were killed with acetyl acetate and reserve is at 19°53′57″S, 43°22′ 07″W, between 630 pinned. They were identified and deposited with their and 806 m elevation, in the municipalities of Santa nest material in the Entomological Collection of the Bárbara and São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo in the state Taxonomic Collections of the Universidade Federal of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Regional climate according de Minas Gerais. to Köppen’s classification is the subtropical moder- After emergence of the bees, the cell series were ately humid with an annual average temperature of dissected. The material employed in the construction 21.7°C (Köppen in Peel et al. 2007). Local vegetation of the outer leaf layer (see below) of a sample of 10 is mostly composed of secondary forest in various cell series for Megachile benigna and three cell series regeneration stages. Otherwise, there are small tracts for Megachile maculata was analyzed and classified of cerrado (Brazilian savanna), rocky fields (on as: (1) an entire leaf or leaflet, which had a central mountain tops), and gardens with exotic species. vein and only its basis cut by the bee; or (2) a leaf Nesting biology of Megachile (Moureapis) spp. 73 piece, which had no central vein and usually had all Table I. Number of emerged specimens of the two borders cut. Anatomical characteristics of the nesting species of Megachile (Moureapis) obtained in trap material were evaluated to distinguish between leaf nests in the RPPN Estação Ambiental de Peti (Minas Gerais, Brazil). and petal fragments. The material used by each species in constructing the inner layer of the cells Species n ♀♂sr (see below) could not be verified. The number of cell series per trap nest and the M.(Moureapis) benigna 90 49 41 1.20 number of cells per cell series were counted and the M. (Moureapis) maculata 550 – internal diameter of the trap nests was measured to the nearest millimeter. Sex ratios were estimated for n total, ♀ number of females, and ♂ number of males each species as the number of emerged females per obtained in all cell series, sr sex ratio emerged male. The χ2 test was applied to test whether those ratios differed from 1:1. Statistical 3.1. Nest architecture and nesting activity analyses were made using BioEstat 4.0 (Ayres et al. 2005). The cells of both species were always located Two mortality types were considered in this study, at the inner end of the culms, leaving a long — according to Bosch and Kemp (2001) (a) mortality empty space between the last cell constructed due to other organisms (e.g., parasites, predators, and and the entrance of the trap nests.