Search

Copyright of Iheringia. Série Zoologia is the property of Fundacao Zoobotanica do Rio Grande do Sul and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Iheringia. Série Zoologia is the property of Fundacao Zoobotanica do Rio Grande do Sul and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aimed to assess the pollen availability and foraging behavior of visiting bees to identify the effective pollinators of Solanum lycocarpum at a forest fragment. Five flowers of each of two floral morphs were used to determine pollen viability using optical microscopy. Bees were collected during the first 15 minutes of every hour of collection and classified into large, medium and small. Behavioral observations were performed during the remaining 45 minutes. Both floral morphs presented high percentage of viable pollen, without much difference between them. A total of 322 bees from 12 species were collected. Visits were more frequent when the anthers were maintained. Epi charis flava, Centris scopipes and Oxaea flavescens, along with Centris analis had large body size and, due to the behavior presented, were considered effective pollinators of S. lycocarpum. The intense intraspecific and interspecific competition observed among visiting bees may be advantageous for S. lycocarpum reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of nesting biology is an important biological aspect for both conservation and management, but despite this, only a few of the over 20,000 described bee species have had their nesting biology studied. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the nesting biology and dynamic of an aggregation of the cavity-nesting bee speciesCentris analisduring one generation. Twenty-eight females were marked and had their nesting activities documented, 64 nests were sampled, and 113 individuals emerged from these nests. An asymmetry in the sex allocation was observed for this species, and the sex ratio was male-biased in the first nests built. Nonetheless, considering an individual-level perspective, the females showed different strategies, with some of them producing more daughters, other females producing more sons, and still others producing an equal proportion. The productivity per female was low compared to that of other solitary bee species, and the females displayed an aggressive usurpation behaviour against conspecific females and performed an intraspecific parasitism. As the substrate used to nest is a limiting factor for this species, the usurpation behaviour may be an important strategy that could increase the chance of nesting. A few males used the nesting site as a resting place and the fidelity observed to this locale was high. This study provides new information about the natural history of this bee species, which is an important pollinator of both crops and native plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the mating behaviour of males of Centris ( Paracentris) burgdorfi, a solitary, univoltine bee, with a wide distribution in Brazil. We also describe the unusual sleeping sites of males and females. The study was performed during two breeding seasons, in northeastern Brazil, where the species nests in aggregations in petrified dunes. Data on mating behaviour were collected through direct observations of the bees at the nesting-emergence site. Males compete intensely for virgin females in the morning, sometimes killing rivals. The high competition for females near the nesting site makes that the male has to take the female to another place to get genital contact. In the evening, males do not use plants to spend the night, instead they aggregate in sleeping clusters inside old burrows in the nesting-emergence area while females sleep in groups on plants that provide the floral oil used in nest construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neotropical bee Centris (Hemisiella) dichrootricha is a solitary bee that nests in pre-existing cavities that occur in the rain forest. This study describes the nesting biology of C. dichrootricha and its preference for nesting in Cerrado and gallery forest habitats. The study was conducted from January 2012 and December 2013, in Mirador State Park in the municipality of Formosa da Serra Negra, Maranhão State, Brazil. For this, wooden trap-nests of 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 mm in diameter were used; a total of 300 trap-nests were placed in the gallery forest and Cerrado areas, respectively. Traps were monitored monthly and all completed nests were collected and replaced with empty ones. The nests were then taken to the laboratory to analyze bee development and emergence, nests characteristics and parasites presence. The species used 29 of the trap-nests, which had diameters of 8, 10, 12 and 14 mm. A total of 87 C. dichrootricha specimens emerged. The nests were parasitized by two bee species, Mesocheira bicolor (Apinae) and Coelioxys sp. (Megachilinae), and one fly species, Antrax sp. (Diptera). The highest nesting incidence of 72.4% was observed in the gallery forest, whereas only 27.6% in the Cerrado; this difference in habitat use was significant (χ&#178 = 5.56; p < 0.05; DF = 1). For the nests that were built in the gallery forest, 80.9% of the soil originated from the Cerrado. The females were significantly larger than the males (F1, 76 = 595.19; p < 0.001). There were 11 pollen types that belonged to six families. Pollen of the family Malpighiaceae was most frequently used, with four species represented (Byrsonima crassifolia, B. rotunda, B. spicata and Heteropterys sp.). C. dichrootricha showed a preference for nesting in cavities of various diameters in gallery forest sites. The present study provides a novel description of the nesting habits and biology of C. dichrootricha in habitats of Central/Southern Maranhão. C. dichrootricha primarily used resources from the Cerrado, including soil to build their nests, pollen and floral oils; we concluded that gallery forest and Cerrado areas are intrinsically related to the maintenance of local populations of this species. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (3): 1041-1056. Epub 2016 September 01. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a first comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny for two Neotropical genera of bees, Centris and Epicharis, whose females collect floral oil together with pollen for larval provisioning, and that traditionally have been grouped in the tribe Centridini. Our analyses rely on a matrix of 167 taxa and 4228 aligned nucleotides for the subfamily Apinae, with denser sample of Centris and Epicharis. Centris and Epicharis are strongly supported monophyletic groups, but Centridini is paraphyletic in relation to the corbiculate bees. The inner phylogenetic relationships of Epicharis agree with the current taxonomic classification. In Centris, three main clades were recovered, namely the Centris, Trachina and Melacentris groups. Inner relationships in Centris suggest the reinstatement of some subgenera and proposition of new ones. Early diversification of Centris and Epicharis took place at the tropical regions of South America. Epicharis and the Melacentris group in Centris mostly diversi- fied in that region, expanding over Central America and tropical North America only recently in the last 3 My. The groups Trachina and Centris present a complex biogeographic history, with expansions to the Nearctic region, the Antilles, and temperate regions of South America in the late Oligocene and Miocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern authors have treated Lutz and Cockerell’s indication ofCentris umbraculataFabricius, 1804 as the first valid type-species designation forEpicharisKlug, 1807. It is argued here, however, thatEpicharis dasypodaKlug, 1807, junior synonym ofApis rusticaOlivier, 1789, is the valid type species ofEpicharis, as designated by Desmarest, in the article onEpicharispublished in 1845 in volume 5 of d’Orbigny’sDictionnaire Universel d’Histoire Naturelle. This overlooked designation makesEpicharanaMichener, 1954, and notXanthepicharisMoure, 1945, a junior synonym ofEpichariss.str. Therefore,Xanthepicharisshould be revalidated for the group containingEpicharisumbraculata(Fabricius, 1804) and related species. htpp://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1BA1C185-25D8-45A8-BC29-109387C1E100 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centris flavifrons is a ground-nesting solitary bee species that has an important role in crop and native plant species pollination in the Neotropical region. However, the nesting biology and ecology of this species are little understood. We studied the nesting biology of C. flavifrons by observing 287 nests in an urban garden. Females built nests only during the dry season from September to March and exhibit notable flexibility in the amount of time each nest is active and the number of brood cells produced as a consequence. Nests were established on horizontal, sunny, sandy surfaces without vegetation. Our nest excavations revealed a main tunnel with lateral branches and an average of five cells per nest (range, 1-12 cells). The duration of a nest from digging to closure was on average 6.9 days (range of 2-19 days, n = 141) with 69 % of nests active for 2-7 days. Mesoplia regalis was observed entering the nests and emerged from the cells of C. flavifrons, but the parasitism rate was low. The implications of this flexibility in nest activity duration and brood cell number and the low pressure from parasites are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies in central Arizona have shown that males of the bee Centris pallida fight for access to emerging receptive females and that larger males have greater mating success. Based on these results, larger-than-average males were predicted to be seen digging for emerging females, particularly if they were observed fighting with other males for control of a digging site. As predicted, larger-than-average males were captured while digging for emerging females. Although large males have consistently experienced an advantage over smaller ones in the competition for mates in a series of studies at this location beginning in the mid-1970s, smaller males continue to be the large majority of the male population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to characterize the importance of the sources of floral resource used by Centris analis to provision nests in acerola orchards (the West Indian cherry, Malpighia emarginata). Thirty-six pollen types were recognized in larval provisions, of which the most frequently found were M. emarginata (76 %), Cajanus cajan (11 %), Chamaecrista type 1 (3 %), and Solanum paniculatum (3 %). The pollen-type M. emarginata was registered in 98 % of the brood cells, with monthly frequencies from 30 to 99 %. The trophic niche breadth ( H′) of the larvae of C. analis was 1.24, with monthly variations from 0.04 to 1.44. The richness of pollen types found in larval provisions of C. analis may be considered high compared to results obtained in other agrosystems with cultivated acerola. The high relative frequency of the pollen-type M. emarginata strongly affected trophic niche breadth and equitativity in the use of food resources. This crop provides floral resources (pollen and floral oils) needed by the pollinator C. analis throughout the year in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Oil-bee/oil-flower mutualism evolved through multiple gains and losses of the ability to produce floral oil in plants and to collect it in bees. Around 2000 plant species are known to produce floral oils that are collected by roughly 450 bee species, which use them for the construction of nests and for the larval food. The Plantaginaceae contain several Neotropical species that produce floral oils, the main reward offered by these plants. In the genera Angelonia, Basistemon, Monopera and Monttea, mainly associated with Centris bees, the floral oil is produced in trichomes that are located in the inner corolla. The pollinators of a few species in this neotropical clade of Plantaginaceae are known, and the role of flower morphology as well as the requirements from pollinators and the role of other groups of bees in the pollination of these flowers remains unclear. In this paper we provide a list of the flower visitors of seven Plantaginaceae species (six Angelonia species and Basistemon silvaticus) analyzing their behavior to highlight the legitimate pollinators and illustrating little known aspects of flower morphology and oil-collecting apparatuses of the bees. Two general morphological patterns were observed in the Angelonia flowers: deep corolla tube with short lobes, and short corolla tube with long lobes. Corolla tubes of different length result in pollen adherence to different parts of the insect body. The six Angelonia species and B. silvaticus flowers were visited by 25 oil-collecting bee species (10 Centris, 11 Tapinotaspidini and 4 Tetrapedia species), the majority acting as legitimate visitors. The flowers were also visited by illegitimate bee pollinators, which collected pollen but do not transfer it to the female organ. Specialized collectors of Plantaginaceae floral oils present modifications on the first pair of legs, mainly in the basitarsi but also extended to the tarsomeres. The new records of Tapinotaspidini and Centridini species acting as specialized pollinators of Plantaginaceae suggest that there is a geographic variation in the pollinators of the same plant species, and that the evolutionary scenario of the historical relationships between oil-collecting bees and floral oil producing plants is more complex than previously considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We describe a new species of the bee genus Centris, C. (C.) byrsonimae Mahlmann & Oliveira sp. n., whose name has appeared as a nomen nudum in the literature since 1985. Further, a new species group of Centris s.str. is proposed, the pulchra group, based on morphological characters, which comprises the species C. pulchra Moure, Oliveira & Viana, 2003 and C. byrsonimae sp. n.. Based on information from specimen labels studied and data from the literature, a list of plant species visited by the pulchra group is presented. The male genitalia and hidden metasomal sterna 7 and 8 of C. pulchra are described for the first time. Typographic errors pertaining to the paratype labels reported in the original description of C. pulchra are corrected. One female paratype of C. pulchra is designated herein as a paratype of C. byrsonimae sp. n. An updated list of species of Centris s.str. from northeastern Brazil is provided including references about geographic distributions as well as an identification key to the pulchra species group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen analysis of larval food allows identification of plants used as nest provision sources. Considering the importance of Centris analis in pollination, we aimed to identify its plant sources, food niche width in Cerrado, and analyze the use of sources between cool/dry and warm/wet seasons. We sampled 22 nests collected in two areas from February 2008 to October 2009. Heteropterys spp. (Malpighiaceae) were the main pollen sources, but Byrsomia spp. (Malpighiaceae), Banisteriopsis malifolia (Malpighiaceae), Solanum lycocarpum (Solanaceae) and Machaerium spp. (Leguminosae) were also important food sources. There was no difference in the use of the sources between the seasons (F1,100 = 0.001; p = 0.979). Despite the high number of pollen types (n = 14) the food niche widths were low, H = 0.777 and H = 0.949, which can be explained by the dominance of some food items. Hence, C. analis use, profusely, a few plants as food sources that could be considered conservation targets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a study that investigated plants used by the Centris tarsata bee species for its larval food supply in southern Brazil and determined if the bee is polylectic or oligolectic in the region. The study was conducted from March 2002 to December 2003 in the Parque Municipal das Araucárias, Guarapuava (PR) in southern Brazil. It was found that the Solanaceae plant family was visited most often, and that two members of the family were the primary pollen sources for the bees in the study area. The selective behavior of females of the bee species suggests that the bees are oligolectic in their larval provisioning.

The mimicry of malpighiaceous oil-flowers appears to be a recurrent pollination strategy among many orchids of the subtribe Oncidiinae. These two plant groups are mainly pollinated by oil-gathering bees, which also specialize in pollen collection by buzzing. In the present study, the floral ecology of the rewardless orchid Tolumnia guibertiana (Oncidiinae) was studied for the first time. The orchid was self-incompatible and completely dependent on oil-gathering female bees ( Centris poecila) for fruit production. This bee species was also the pollinator of two other yellow-flowered plants in the area: the pollen and oil producing Stigmaphyllon diversifolium (Malpighiaceae) and the polliniferous and buzzing-pollinated Ouratea agrophylla (Ochnaceae). To evaluate whether this system is a case of mimetism, we observed pollinator visits to flowers of the three plant species and compared the floral morphometrics of these flowers. The behavior, preferences and movement patterns of Centris bees among these plants, as well as the morphological data, suggest that, as previously thought, flowers of T. guibertiana mimic the Malpighiaceae S. diversifolium. However, orchid pollination in one of the studied populations appears to depend also on the presence of O. agrophylla. Moreover, at the two studied populations, male and female pollination successes of T. guibertiana were not affected by its own floral display, and did not differ between populations. The results are discussed in relation to the behavior and preferences of Centris bees, as well as the differential presence and influence of each of the two floral models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of appropriate pollinators is believed to be an impediment to naturalization of orchids. We studied the self-compatibility and pollination of an invasive, showy, rewardless, terrestrial orchid (Cyrtopodium polyphyllum (Vell.) Pabst ex F. Barrios) in southern Florida. Pollination treatments indicated that the orchid is self-compatible but not autogamous. Visitor observations indicated that the orchid is pollinated by an invasive specialist oil-collecting bee (Centris nitida Smith). The presence of the invasive Centris nitida has probably contributed to the naturalization of this probable oil reward mimicking orchid in Florida. We contrasted our results in the orchid’s invasive range with those reported in two studies in the orchid’s native range. In the invasive range in Florida, the orchid experiences a lower inbreeding depression. In both areas, the orchid is pollinated by Centris species and the pollination of the orchid is apparently enhanced by the presence of oil-rewarding species of the Malpighiaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which describes the differences in the nest of the six out of the 13 species of Centris bees, which are known as lodger or cavity-nesting bees, found in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. It asserts that bees make its nest in a variety of substrates in diverse habitats or construct brood cells in different materials to ensure the survival of the colony. The study uses trap nest with a specific cavity diameter to determine the influence on the bee's nesting behavior. It also offers information to identify nests of each species after completion or when some of the bees have emerged and dispersed out of its nests. Differences were found with regards to the use of the cavity diameters, materials, cell size, shape, and orientation, as well as plug and coatings.

ABSTRACT Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC; Malpighiaceae) is an important fruit crop in Brazil. Among its pollinators, Centris (Heterocentris) analis (F.) stands out due to its abundance at flowers and prompt acceptance of trap-nests. For the first time, we propose the commercial use of Centris bees as orchard pollinators. To develop protocols for rearing and management of these bees, we analyzed trap-nest acceptance, brood-cell construction, and larval diet in Acerola orchards. Although Centris species, in general, use numerous pollen host plants, females of C. analis showed remarkable flower fidelity to Acerola for pollen supply when nesting in the orchard. Such fidelity was previously expected only for floral oil collection. The ease of acceptance of trap-nests by females of C. analis, their prolonged yearly activity period, multivoltine life history, and high pollinator efficiency characterize C. analis as an excellent potentially manageable pollinator in Acerola orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Few studies have examined the dynamics of specialist plant–pollinator interactions at a geographical scale. This knowledge is crucial for a more general evolutionary and ecological understanding of specialized plant–pollinator systems. In the present study, variations in pollinator activity, assemblage composition and pollen limitation were explored in the oil-producing species Nierembergia linariifolia (Solanaceae). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Two new ascomycetous yeast species belonging to the Starmerella clade were discovered in nests of two solitary bee species in the Atlantic rain forest of Brazil. Candida riodocensis was isolated from pollen-nectar provisions, larvae and fecal pellets of nests of Megachile sp., and Candida cellae was found in pollen-nectar provisions of Centris tarsata. Analysis of the sequences of the D1/D2 large-subunit ribosomal DNA showed that C. riodocensis is phylogenetically related to C. batistae, and the closest relative of C. cellae is C. etchellsii. The type strains are C. riodocensis UFMG-MG02 (=CBS 10087T =NRRL Y-27859T) and C. cellae UFMG-PC04 (=CBS 10086T =NRRL Y-27860T). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the importance of mechanisms of thermal balance in flying Centris pallida. Importance of thermoregulation in the thorax of bees and endothermic insects; Methods used to test the impact of variations in metabolic heat on the body temperature of insects; Examination of the results of this research.

Calix glands were studied in the Atacama endemic Dinemandra ericoides Adr.Juss.(Malpighiaceae). Their anatomy and development are described for the first time. These oil-secreting glands (elaiophores) are anatomically different to other calix elaiophores known in the family and to other flower glands in the same species. The calix glands lack a preformed pores for oil release. The oil has to be exposed actively by the pollinator by the breakage of the cuticle. Form and position of the elaiophores are correlated to the mode of oil collection by species of Centris. The elaiophore of Dinemandra is compared in its anatomy to floral and extrafloral glands known in other members of the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]