Occurrence and biogeographic aspects of Melipona quinquefasciata in NE Brazil (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Abstract

The stingless bee Melipona quinquefasciata is not included among the nine bee species of Melipona described in literature of NE Brazil. However, reports of some farmers raised suspicion on the occurrence of M. quinquefasciata in the state of Ceará, in NE Brazil. Investigations were carried out from July 1997 to September 2000, by means of trips to the areas of probable occurrence of this bee species. Results confirmed the presence of M. quinquefasciata in Ceará and determined its habitat along the chapada do Araripe (Araripe plateau) and all extension of planalto da Ibiapaba (Ibiapaba plateau), in altitudes between 600 and 900 m. Melipona quinquefasciata lives in the phytocoenosis of cerrado (Brazilian savanna), cerradão (savanna forest) and carrasco (montane deciduous shrub vegetation) on the top of Araripe plateau, and only carrasco in the Ibiapaba plateau. Due to pressures caused by reduction of the area covered with native vegetation, large use of agrochemicals in anthropic areas and generalised predatory hunting of honey and beeswax, M. quinquefasciata is in risk of disappearing from the ecosystems of Araripe and Ibiapaba plateaus within a few years.

Genetic variability in Melipona quinquefasciata (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) from northeastern Brazil determined using the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1)

“…Therefore, the recovery of a monophyletic clade containing the ITS1 sequence of M. quinquefasciata from Goiás and the other closely related sequences supported the finding that the ground-nesting Melipona bees occurring in NE Brazil, as previously reported by Lima-Verde and Freitas (2002), are indeed M. quinquefasciata.…”

“…According to Lima-Verde and Freitas (2002), the presence of M. quinquefasciata in NE Brazil, so far from the other known populations of this species, could be explained by its isolation in remains of former vegetation communities nowadays found secluded in the caatinga phytocoenosis (tropical thorn scrub vegetation). This region was formerly part of the great Brazilian central plateau prior to its dismount as a consequence of climatic differentiation in northeastern Brazil, which began more intensively with the palaeoecological events that occurred in the Pliocene (Tertiary) and intensified during the Pleistocene (Quaternary).…”

“…Its known geographic distribution was believed to comprise only the southern states of Brazil, from the southern part of Espírito Santo to Rio Grande do Sul, including areas of Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso, and Mato Grosso do Sul; it has also been reported from southern Bolivia, Paraguay and the north-northeast of Argentina (Mariano-Filho, 1911;Schwarz, 1932;Kerr, 1948;Moure, 1948Moure, , 1975Viana and Melo, 1987). However, in 2002, Lima-Verde and Freitas (2002, based on taxonomic identification, reported the occurrence of M. quinquefasciata in two large plateaus of the State of Ceará, in northeast Brazil. Although traditional taxonomic classification, based on morphological and evolutionary traits, identified the bee population found in Ceará as M. quinquefasciata, some minor morphological variations of these individuals compared to voucher specimens from sites within the recognized occurrence area, along with the long distance (over 2000 km) from confirmed occurrence sites of this species, provoked doubts about its classification.…”

Starmerella neotropicalis f. a., sp. nov., a yeast species found in bees and pollen

“…Nests of Melipona quinquefasciata can reach a depth of up to 4 m, with horizontal brood combs and large (34 cm) food pots. The bee builds nests from soil cavities that often are abandoned termite or ant nests, but also can be tunnels formed by plant roots (Nogueira-Neto 1997;Lima-Verde & Freitas 2002). The honey of Melipona quinquefasciata is prized by many species and is therefore subject to predatory extraction (Lima-Verde & Freitas 2002;Pereira 2006;São-Thiago et al 2010).…”

Chemical composition, botanical evaluation and screening of radical scavenging activity of collected pollen by the stingless bees Melipona rufiventris (Uruçu-amarela)

“…Stingless bees are found in tropical and sub-tropical regions of South and Central America, Africa, Southeastern Asia and Australia. In Brazil, they are indigenous and present all over the country, although species differ from region to region (Nogueira-Neto 1997, Lima-Verde andFreitas 2002).…”