DOCSLIB.ORG

Flower Visits of Centris Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in an Area of Caatinga (Bahia, Brazil)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Flower Visits of Centris Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in an Area of Caatinga (Bahia, Brazil) SNFE648 Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 0165-0521/02/3701-001$16.00 2002, Vol. 37, No. •, pp. ••–•• © Swets & Zeitlinger Flower Visits of Centris Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in an Area of Caatinga (Bahia, Brazil) Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar Dept. of Biological Sciences, State University of Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, State of Bahia, Brazil Abstract Periodic sampling of bees visiting flowering plants resulted The Caatinga is a deciduous forest type, whose principal in the collection of 91 individuals of 10 Centris species in an character is the absence of leaves during much of the year. area of Caatinga (Itatim, Bahia, Brazil). These bees visited The Caatinga comprises several different plant communities, 12 species of plants. Melochia tomentosa (Sterculiaceae), and covers about 800,000km2 in northeastern Brazil a nectar source, was the most frequently visited plant. (Andrade-Lima, 1981). Despite their presumed ecological Chamaecrista, Senna and Solanum species were visited for importance, little is known about the native bee species pollen, and Stigmaphyllon auriculatum for oil. Centris bees present, and their interactions with flowering plants in the were captured from September through April. The data Caatinga. The high percentage of endemic species of bees suggest a seasonal pattern of activity, associated with the found there (32%, including two Centris species), indicates rainy season. that the Caatinga has its own bee fauna (Zanella, 2000a, b). In the Caatinga, Centris bees are the major group of oil- Keywords: Centris, Caatinga, South American dry forests, collectors, for oil-collecting bees of other genera (Epicharis, bee phenology, floral resources, northeastern Brazil. Tetrapedia and Paratetrapedia) are either rare or absent (Vogel & Machado, 1991; Zanella, 2000a). According to Schlindwein (2000), the Centridini are specialized foragers 1 Introduction and key pollinators, helping to maintain plant diversity in tropical ecosystems. As they are essential to the reproductive Centris bees are fundamental components of the large-bee success of several plant species, it is important to identify guild of pollinators, and their importance in dry forests those plants which help to sustain their populations. has been noted by Frankie et al. (1976; 1983). In Brazil, The sampling of bees during floral visits, employing pollination studies in the Cerrado (Gottsberger, 1986), standardized methodology, has been undertaken at a num- on dunes (Gottsberger et al., 1988) and in the Caatinga ber Caatinga sites (Martins, 1994; Aguiar & Martins, 1997; (Vogel & Machado, 1991) have demonstrated that many Viana, 1999; Zanella, 2000a), although data concerning bee plants, such as Angelonia, Byrsonima, as well as some phenology and the floral resources used by each species are species of Chamaecrista, Passiflora, and Turnera, are polli- rare. This work was designed to investigate species richness, nated by Centris bees. In some cases, mainly among oil as well as to identify the plants visited by Centris bees in an flowers, these bees are the only legitimate visitors (Vogel & area of Caatinga in the State of Bahia. Machado, 1991), and these plants depend on the services of Centris bees because of their specialized foraging behavior. Studies on the community of pollinators in the Brazilian Material and methods Caatinga have not yet been undertaken, although, as in other Study site Neotropical habitats with open vegetation, Centris bees would be expected to appear as important pollination agents Sampling was done in the municipal district of Itatim there. (12°42¢S, 39°46¢W), near Mount Agenor (200km from the Received: 17 May 2000 Accepted: 26 August 2002 Correspondence: C.M.L. Aguiar, Depto. de Ciências Biologicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, 44031-460 Feira de Santana – BA, Brazil. Fax: +55-75-224 8264; E-mail: [email protected] SNFE648 2 C.M.L. Aguiar city of Salvador) in the State of Bahia, Brazil. The vegeta- although the number of individuals was low in October 1997 tion is predominantly open shrubby Caatinga, common in the (Table 1). The highest number of bees was collected during dry areas of northeastern Brazil. Melochia tomentosa and the rainy season (November to April) while from May to Acacia bahiensis were the most abundant shrubs. Trees are September no Centris bees were recorded. However, there scarce, with Caesalpinia pyramidalis, Spondias tuberosa and was no significant correlation established between the amount Ziziphus joazeiro being the most common species (França et of rainfall and the number of individuals netted per month al., 1997). [correlation analysis: r = 0.38; p > 0.05)], nor the number of The climate is semi-arid, with an average annual tem- species collected (r = 0.29; p > 0.05). perature of 24.3°C and an average annual precipitation of 551mm, although there can be large annual variations (range: 142–1206mm). There are at least five dry months per Discussion year (Bahia, 1994). During the course of this study, the rainy Species spectrum and richness of Centris bees season started in November 1996, and ended in April 1997. The month of December 1996 was uncommonly dry, while The species richness of Centris bees found at Itatim was March and April of 1997 were the rainiest months. The dry relatively high in comparison to other areas of Caatinga, such season extended from May through September of 1997. as São João do Cariri (3 spp., Aguiar & Martins, 1997), Serra Negra do Norte (6 spp., Zanella, 2000a) and Casa Nova (8 spp., Martins, 1994), and was similar to the number of Sampling schedule species encountered in Ibiraba (11 sp., Viana, 1999) and Bees and flowering plants were collected during two Castro Alves (12 spp., Carvalho, pers. comm.). The species consecutive days each month for a fifteen-month period richness of Centris bees in areas of Caatinga is higher than (September 1996 until November 1997). Collecting was per- that observed at Boracéia, in the Atlantic Coastal Rain Forest formed between 12:00 and 06:00 p.m. on the first day and (5 spp., Wilms, pers. comm.), although slightly lower than then between 06:00 and 12:00 a.m. on the second day, for a that found in areas of Brazilian Cerrado (17 spp., Silveira & total of 180 hours of sampling time (12h/mo). Campos, 1995). Bees were captured with entomological nets at all flower- Five species (C. aenea, C. fuscata, C. tarsata, C. ing plants (48 melittophilous species) encountered while trigonoides, and C. xanthomelaena) found in Itatim have walking along a 3km transect. The transect was patrolled been sampled in several other areas of Caatinga (Martins, twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon, always start- 1994; Viana, 1999; Zanella, 2000a). Except for C. xan- ing at different points. Thus, each flowering plant was thomelaena, a species endemic to the Caatinga (Zanella, observed at different times on different days. Approximately 2000b), those species are also common in other habitats as 5min were spent at each plant to capture bees. The time of in the Cerrados (Martins, 1994; Silveira & Campos, 1995) day and the plants being visited were recorded for each and in the Atlantic Coastal Rain Forest (Wilms, pers. comm.; bee collected. Voucher specimens of bees and plants were Teixeira & Machado, 2000). On the other hand, C. caxiensis, deposited in the Herbarium and Entomological Collection of C. leprieuri, C. moerens and C. sponsa are less common the State University of Feira de Santana, at Feira de Santana, species and they have been collected in few areas of Caatinga State of Bahia, Brazil. beyond Itatim. Of these, C. moerens has not been registered in other habitats, while C. leprieuri occurs in the dune veg- etation in Northeastern Brazil (Gottsberger et al., 1988), Results C. caxiensis is present in coastal vegetation (Rêgo & Albuquerque, 1989) and in the Cerrados in the State of 2 Ninety-one individuals belonging to ten Centris species were Maranhão (Brazil) (Albuquerque & Mendonça, 1996) and obtained, 88 of them while visiting flowers. The others were C. sponsa also occurs in the Cerrados (Silveira & Campos, captured in flight. C. aenea and C. fuscata were most fre- 1995). quently captured, while other species were sampled rarely (Table. 1). Centris bees were found visiting 12 of the 48 Floral resources species of flowering plants observed along our transect (Table 2). Melochia tomentosa was the major nectar source, Flowers of Chamaecrista and Senna (Caesalpiniaceae) are being visited by the highest number of individuals from eight important pollen sources for Centris in Itatim and in other species. Caesalpiniacean species and Solanum paniculatum areas (Aguiar, unpublished). Nectar sources are more nu- (Solanaceae) were pollen sources, while Stigmaphyllon merous and are found in several plant genera, including auriculatum (Malpighiaceae) was the only source of floral oil Caesalpinia and Melochia. These were also frequented in among the plants visited by Centris bees. other areas of Caatinga (Vogel & Machado, 1991; Aguiar Centris species were captured from late September until et al., 1995; Lewis & Gibbs, 1999). 3 April. The highest number of bees was sampled between As plants offering floral oils, species of the family October and December (late dry season to early rainy season), Malpighiaceae could be expected to be of special importance SNFE648 Centris bees of the Caatinga 3 for centridine bees; however, we recorded only very few bees on only one species. This may be due to our sampling effort being limited to only one day per month, because other species of Malpighiaceae were not observed flower- ing although Barnebya harleyi, Heteropterys spp., Janusia schwannioides and Thryallis longifolia are known to occur in the vicinity of Mount Agenor (França et al., 1997). Temporal patterns of activity Our data suggest that the activity of Centris bees was related to the rainy season in the Caatinga. At Itatim, the Centris species most frequently captured seemed to have a seasonal activity pattern like bees in other habitats, such as Costa Rican dry forests (Heithaus, 1979; Frankie et al., 1983) and Panamanian forests (Wolda & Roubik, 1986).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Proventricular Structure in Solitary Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) Jose´ Eduardo Serra˜ Oã
    ARTICLE IN PRESS Organisms, Diversity & Evolution 5 (2005) 125–133 www.elsevier.de/ode Proventricular structure in solitary bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) Jose´ Eduardo Serra˜ oà Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Vic¸osa, Vic¸osa 36570-000, MG, Brazil Received 17 June 2004; accepted 21 October 2004 Abstract Proventricular structure, analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy, is compared among 28 species of solitary bees representing four families. Observations on the shapes of proventricular folds and on hair-like cuticular projections are presented, discussed, and suggested as useful to future studies of bee systematics. r 2005 Gesellschaft fu¨ r Biologische Systematik. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. Keywords: Insect; Morphology; Evolution; Gut; Proventriculus Introduction Bailey (1952), Gibbs (1967), Lebrun (1985), Lebrun and Lequet (1985), and Caetano (1988) have reported In bees, the foregut consists of the pharynx, esopha- anatomical variation in the insect proventriculus, which gus, crop (honey sac), and proventriculus (Chapman, they related to the feeding habits of the insects. 1998). The proventriculus is the most specialized part of However, some studies have shown that insect gut the foregut; it lies between the honey sac and the midgut morphology is not variable in relation to feeding habits (Snodgrass, 1956). It is subdivided into three parts: (1) (for a review see Terra and Ferreira, 1994). an anterior end that protrudes into the honey sac lumen The extant bees with species found in Brazil belong to and forms the proventricular bulb, which consists of five families: Colletidae, Halictidae, Andrenidae, Mega- four lips leaving an x-shaped opening; (2) a midsection chilidae and Apidae (Roig-Alsina and Michener, 1993; or neck; and (3) a posterior cardiac valve situated within Alexander and Michener, 1995; Engel, 2000; Silveira the midgut lumen (Cruz-Landim and Rodrigues, 1967; et al., 2002).
    [Show full text]
  • Hymenoptera: Apidae: Centridini) in the Lesser Antilles
    A Dense Daytime Aggregation of Solitary Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Centridini) in the Lesser Antilles CHRISTOPHER K. STARR AND DANNY VE´ LEZ (CKS, DV) Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago (DV) Current Address: Departamento de Biologı´a, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, AA 14490, Santafe´ de Bogota´, Colombia J. HYM. RES. Vol. 18(2), 2009, pp. 175–177 A Dense Daytime Aggregation of Solitary Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Centridini) in the Lesser Antilles CHRISTOPHER K. STARR AND DANNY VE´ LEZ (CKS, DV) Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago (DV) Current Address: Departamento de Biologı´a, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, AA 14490, Santafe´ de Bogota´, Colombia __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract.—A dense daytime aggregation of thousands of bees was present on at least six successive days on a large Caesalpinia bonduc (Caesalpiniaceae) shrub on the island of Anguilla, Lesser Antilles. A sample consisted of both sexes of Centris (Centris) decolorata, C., (C.) smithii and C. (Hemisiella) lanipes, with the bulk of individuals being males of C. decolorata. The unusual features of the aggregation were its persistence during daylight hours, the presence of multiple species, and the presence of females. The three species are new records for Anguilla. Key words.—Anguilla, Apoidea, bees, Centris, Lesser Antilles
    [Show full text]
  • The Bees of the Genus Centris Fabricius, 1804 Described by Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
    European Journal of Taxonomy 618: 1–47 ISSN 2118-9773 https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.618 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2020 · Vivallo F. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). Research article urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FB1B58E6-7E40-4C16-9DFF-2EA5D43BC0B3 The bees of the genus Centris Fabricius, 1804 described by Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Felipe VIVALLO HYMN Laboratório de Hymenoptera, Departamento de Entomologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão 20940‒040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Email: [email protected] urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:AC109712-1474-4B5D-897B-1EE51459E792 Abstract. In this paper the primary types of Centris bees described by the British entomologist Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell deposited in the Natural History Museum (London) and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (Oxford) in the United Kingdom, as well as in the United States National Museum (Washington), American Museum of Natural History (New York), the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (Philadelphia), and in the California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco) in the United States were studied. To stabilize the application of the name C. lepeletieri (= C. haemorrhoidalis (Fabricius)), a lectotype is designated. The study of the primary types allow proposing the revalidation of C. cisnerosi nom. rev. from the synonymy of C. agilis Smith, C. nitida geminata nom. rev. from C. facialis Mocsáry, C. rufulina nom. rev. from C. varia (Erichson), C. semilabrosa nom. rev. from C. terminata Smith and C. triangulifera nom. rev. from C.
    [Show full text]
  • Revision of the Neotropical Subgenera Coelioxys (Platycoelioxys) Mitchell and C
    Zootaxa 3941 (2): 151–203 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2015 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3941.2.1 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EADB0C53-EE0E-45CF-8E21-59143C5EC389 Revision of the Neotropical subgenera Coelioxys (Platycoelioxys) Mitchell and C. (Rhinocoelioxys) Mitchell (Hymenoptera; Megachilidae) with the description of one new species LÉO CORREIA DA ROCHA FILHO & LAURENCE PACKER York University, Department of Biology, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Table of contents Abstract . 151 Resumo . 152 Resumen . 152 Introduction . 152 Material and methods . 153 Taxonomy . 155 Subgenus C. (Rhinocoelioxys) Mitchell . 155 Key to Females of C. (Rhinocoelioxys) . 156 Key to males of C. (Rhinocoelioxys) . 159 Coelioxys (Rhinocoelioxys) agilis Smith. 162 Coelioxys (Rhinocoelioxys) barbata Schwarz & Michener . 166 Coelioxys (Rhinocoelioxys) clypearis Friese. 170 Coelioxys (Rhinocoelioxys) nasidens Friese . 172 Coelioxys (Rhinocoelioxys) paraguayensis Schrottky . 176 Coelioxys (Rhinocoelioxys) platygnatha n. sp. 180 Coelioxys (Rhinocoelioxys) zapoteca Cresson . 182 Subgenus C. (Platycoelioxys) Mitchell . 193 Coelioxys (Platycoelioxys) alatiformis Friese . 197 Acknowledgements . 202 References . 202 Abstract Two Neotropical subgenera of Coelioxys Latreille are revised. The monotypic C. (Platycoelioxys) Mitchell and C. (Rhi- nocoelioxys) Mitchell has seven valid species; six of them (C. agilis Smith, C. barbata Schwarz & Michener, C. clypearis Friese, C. nasidens Friese, C. paraguayensis Schrottky and C. zapoteca Cresson) previously described, and one, C. platyg- natha Rocha-Filho & Packer n. sp. is new from Amazonas State, Brazil. Coelioxys nasidens, previously considered a ju- nior synonym of C. clypeata Smith, is resurrected.
    [Show full text]
  • Stingless Bee Nesting Biology David W
    Stingless bee nesting biology David W. Roubik To cite this version: David W. Roubik. Stingless bee nesting biology. Apidologie, Springer Verlag, 2006, 37 (2), pp.124-143. hal-00892207 HAL Id: hal-00892207 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00892207 Submitted on 1 Jan 2006 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 37 (2006) 124–143 124 c INRA/DIB-AGIB/ EDP Sciences, 2006 DOI: 10.1051/apido:2006026 Review article Stingless bee nesting biology* David W. Ra,b a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá, República de Panamá b Unit 0948, APO AA 34002-0948, USA Received 2 October 2005 – Revised 29 November 2005 – Accepted 23 December 2005 Abstract – Stingless bees diverged since the Cretaceous, have 50 times more species than Apis,andare both distinctive and diverse. Nesting is capitulated by 30 variables but most do not define clades. Both architectural features and behavior decrease vulnerability, and large genera vary in nest habit, architecture and defense. Natural stingless bee colony density is 15 to 1500 km−2. Symbionts include mycophagic mites, collembolans, leiodid beetles, mutualist coccids, molds, and ricinuleid arachnids.
    [Show full text]
  • Nesting Biology of Centris (Centris) Aenea Lepeletier (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini)
    Nesting biology of Centris (Centris) aenea Lepeletier (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini) Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar 1 & Maria Cristina Gaglianone 2 1 Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana. Rodovia BR 116, km 3, 44031-460 Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brasil. E-mail: [email protected] 2 Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, CBB, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense. Avenida Alberto Lamego 2000, 28013-600 Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. Nesting activity of Centris aenea Lepeletier, 1841 was studied in two Brazilian habitats, Caatinga (Monte Santo, Bahia) and Cerrado (Palmeiras, Bahia and Luiz Antônio, São Paulo). Nests were excavated in the ground and did not tend to be aggregated together at the two sites, but at Palmeiras, nests were in a large aggregation. Nest architecture consists of a single unbranched tunnel, sloping to vertical, which leads to a linear series of four cells, placed from 8 to 26 cm in depth. Cells are urn-shaped with a rounded base, and their cell caps have a central hollow process, as in other Centridini. Nest architecture of C. aenea was compared to other species of Centris Fabricius, 1804. Provisions are composed of a pollen mass covered by a thin liquid layer on which the egg is placed. Females were observed gathering oil on Mcvaughia bahiana W.R. Anderson flowers from October to March in the Caatinga, and on Byrsonima intermedia A.Juss. as well as other Malpighiaceae species from August to December in the Cerrado. Pollen is gathered by buzzing flowers of Solanaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Malpighiaceae, and Ochnaceae.
    [Show full text]
  • The Bees of the Genus Centris Fabricius, 1804
    ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: European Journal of Taxonomy Jahr/Year: 2020 Band/Volume: 0618 Autor(en)/Author(s): Vivallo Felipe Artikel/Article: The bees of the genus Centris Fabricius, 1804 described by Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae) 1-47 European Journal of Taxonomy 618: 1–47 ISSN 2118-9773 https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.618 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2020 · Vivallo F. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). Research article urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FB1B58E6-7E40-4C16-9DFF-2EA5D43BC0B3 The bees of the genus Centris Fabricius, 1804 described by Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Felipe VIVALLO HYMN Laboratório de Hymenoptera, Departamento de Entomologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão 20940‒040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Email: [email protected] urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:AC109712-1474-4B5D-897B-1EE51459E792 Abstract. In this paper the primary types of Centris bees described by the British entomologist Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell deposited in the Natural History Museum (London) and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (Oxford) in the United Kingdom, as well as in the United States National Museum (Washington), American Museum of Natural History (New York), the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (Philadelphia), and in the California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco) in the United States were studied. To stabilize the application of the name C. lepeletieri (= C. haemorrhoidalis (Fabricius)), a lectotype is designated. The study of the primary types allow proposing the revalidation of C.
    [Show full text]
  • BITING, STINGING and VENOMOUS PESTS: INSECTS (For Non-Insects Such As Scorpions and Spiders, See Page 23)
    BITING, STINGING AND VENOMOUS PESTS: INSECTS (For non-insects such as scorpions and spiders, see page 23). Bees include a large number of insects that are included in different families under the order Hymenoptera. They are closely related to ants and wasps, and are common and important components of outdoor community environments. Bees have lapping-type mouthparts, which enable them to feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. Most bees are pollinators and are regarded as beneficial, but some are regarded as pests because of their Pollination by honey bees stings, or damage that they cause due to Photo: Padmanand Madhavan Nambiar nesting activities. NOTABLE SPECIES Common name(s): Bee, honey bee Scientific name, classification: Apis spp., Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Apidae. Distribution: Worldwide. The western honey bee A. mellifera is the most common species in North America. Description and ID characters: Adults are medium to large sized insects, less than ¼ to Western honey bee, Apis mellifera slightly over 1 inch in length. Sizes and Photo: Charles J. Sharp appearances vary with the species and the caste. Best identifying features: Robust black or dark brown bodies, covered with dense hair, mouthparts (proboscis) can be seen extending below the head, hind pair of wings are smaller than the front pair, hind legs are stout and equipped to gather pollen, and often have yellow pollen-balls attached to them. Pest status: Non-pest, although some are aggressive and can sting in defense. Damage/injury: Usually none, and are regarded as the most beneficial insects. Swarming colonies near homes and buildings may cause concern, but they often move on.
    [Show full text]
  • Community Structure of Native Bees in Fourvegetation Types in the Dry Tropics of Yuca Tan, Mexico
    Folia Entorno/. Mex. 42(2): 177-190 (2003) COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF NATIVE BEES IN FOURVEGETATION TYPES IN THE DRY TROPICS OF YUCA TAN, MEXICO 1 1 2 LUISA F. NOVELO-RINCÓN , HUGO DELFÍN-GONZÁLEZ , RICARDO A Y ALA ANO HEZZARD H. CONTRERAS-ACOSTA1 'Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Departamento de Zoología. A. P. 4-116 Col. Itzimná, 97100 Mérida, Yucatán, México 2 Estación de Biología Charnela, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 21, San Patricio, Jalisco, 48980, Mexico Novelo-Rincón, L.F., H. Delfin-González, R. Ayala and H.H. Contreras-Acosta. 2003. Community structure ofnative bees in four vegetation types in the dry tropics ofYucatan, Mexico. Folia Enlomo!. Mex., 42(2): 177-190. ABSTRACT. The structure of native bee communities was studied in four vegetation types in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. Community structure was established using índices (dominant, common and rare species), four lifeways and unique species. A total of 5, 701 specimens were collected, falling in five families, 55 genera and 140 species. Community structure was equal, and independent ofvegetation type. On average, rare species represented 51.2% of community structure, common species 31.2% and dominant species 17.6%, while parasocials represented 50.8%, solitaries 30.1%, eusocials 9.1% and parasitic 7.5%. Results suggest that parasocial species are the most important in terms of dominance and richness and that the sampled vegetation associations are rich in social bees. This coincides with descriptions demonstrating that eusocial Apidae and Halictidae are most common and abundant. The bee communities do not differ in the size and composition of dominant, common, and rare species assemblages, or in strata composition.
    [Show full text]
  • Versatility of the Trophic Niche of Centris (Paracentris) Burgdorfi (Apidae, Centridini)
    Arthropod-Plant Interactions (2019) 13:227–237 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-018-9654-5 ORIGINAL PAPER Versatility of the trophic niche of Centris (Paracentris) burgdorfi (Apidae, Centridini) William O. Sabino1,2 · Isabel Alves‑dos‑Santos1 · Cláudia Inês da Silva1 Received: 13 October 2017 / Accepted: 7 November 2018 / Published online: 15 November 2018 © Springer Nature B.V. 2018 Abstract Centris species collect floral oil and use this resource in larval food and for waterproofing their cells. We investigated the trophic niche of three distinct populations of Centris burgdorfi, a widely distributed bee in Brazil, by using pollen collected from female bees. Our goal was to determine whether there is versatility regarding sources of oil, nectar, and pollen in differ- ent regions of Brazil. By using the pollen, we also determined whether the source of oil used corresponded to the collection apparatus of the females. In total, we sampled 150 C. burgdorfi females and their associated pollen in three distinct habitat types across Brazil. We prepared pollen by acetolysis and performed quantitative analysis on 400 grains per bee. We identi- fied 41 plant species belonging to 18 families that were used by C. burgdorfi. Although none of the plant species used by C. burgdorfi were shared among areas, the Chamaecrista genus was present in the diet at all three sites. The probable oil source came from plants of the genus Krameria, a genus with epithelial elaiophores. In regions where the Krameriaceae family was not present (e.g., southern Brazil), bees used Angelonia integerrima, a plant with trichomate elaiophores, demonstrating that C.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    Journal of Melitology Bee Biology, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics The latest buzz in bee biology No. 104, pp. 1–8 6 July 2021 BRIEF COMMUNICATION The frst case of gynandromorphy in Centris pallida (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Centridini) Meghan Barret1 Abstract. A case of gynandromorphy is reported for the frst time for Centris pallida Fox, a bee species found predominantly in the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This specimen marks only the second report of a gynandromorph within the tribe of oil-collecting bees, Centridini, and the frst Centris Fabricius. The specimen exhibits mosaic gynandromorphy, with male and female characteristics randomly distributed throughout the body. Males of C. pallida are morphologically and behaviorally dimorphic (a large and a small male morph), and the male characteristics of the gynandromorph are more similar to the large male morph, which is also most similar in head width to the specimen. INTRODUCTION Gynandromorphy, a phenomenon found in nearly all arthropod orders, occurs when individuals display secondary sex characteristics of both sexes simultaneously (Narita et al., 2010). Gynandromorphs can be categorized into three main types: mo- saic, transverse, and bilateral. Mosaic gynandromorphy is described by the random distribution of sex characters throughout the body, transverse is described as the dis- tribution of sex characters into two asymmetrical parts (typically perpendicular to the axis of symmetry), and bilateral is described as the symmetrical and equal distribu- tion of sex characters (Michez et al., 2009). Gynandromorphy has been recorded within six of the seven bee families (all but Stenotritidae, the smallest bee family restricted geographically to Australia), showing this phenomenon to be widespread among Apoidea (Michez et al., 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • Conopid Flies (Diptera: Conopidae) Parasitizing Centris (Heterocentris) Analis (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Centridini)
    606 September - October 2008 SCIENTIFIC NOTE Conopid Flies (Diptera: Conopidae) Parasitizing Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Centridini) ALEX M. SANTOS1, JOSÉ C. SERRANO1, RICARDO M. COUTO1, LEONARDO S.G. ROCHA2, CÁTIA A. MELLO- PATIU2 AND CARLOS A. GARÓFALO1 1Depto. Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofi a, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, USP, 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, SP; [email protected]; 2Depto. Entomologia, Museu Nacional, Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ; [email protected] Neotropical Entomology 37(5):606-608 (2008) Conopídeos (Diptera: Conopidae) Parasitando Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Centridini) RESUMO - Parasitas de abelhas adultas são quase exclusivamente moscas e dentre os mais importantes estão os conopídeos. Nesta comunicação relata-se pela primeira vez a associação de espécies de Physocephala (Diptera: Conopidae) com Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius). De uma amostra de 26 fêmeas e nove machos da espécie hospedeira encontrados mortos em ninhos-armadilha vazios, no campus da Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, emergiram 35 parasitóides pertencentes a nove espécies de Physocephala. Os dados mostram que C. analis é hospedeiro para várias espécies de conopídeos e sugerem que tais parasitóides podem desempenhar um papel importante na regulação populacional dessa espécie de abelha. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Parasitismo, associação parasita-hospedeiro, abelha, ninhos-armadilha ABSTRACT - Parasites of adult bees are almost exclusively fl ies and the most important of them are conopids. This note registers for the fi rst time the association of species of Physocephala (Diptera: Conopidae) with Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius). From 26 females and nine males of the host species found dead inside trap-nests on the campus of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 35 parasitoids were obtained belonging to nine species of Physocephala.
    [Show full text]