Biologia e ecologia de Anthodioctes moratoi Urban (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae, Anthidiini) em matas contínuas e fragmentos na Amazônia Central, Brasil

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Biology and ecology ofAnlflOdioctes moratoi Urban (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae, Anthidiini) in continuous forests and forest fragments in Central Amazonia, BraziJ. An/hodioc/es mora/oi Urban, 1999 was described based on specimens collecled in lhe slate of Amazonas during a study ofthe ecology oftrap-nesting bees and wasps. Sampling was done between 1988 and 1990 north ofManaus, in areas of the "Forest Fragment Biological Dynamics Project". Wooden lrap-nests were seI in dilTerent heights inside continuous forests, foresl ti'agmenls of differenl sizes, natural gaps inside continuous forest, and in c1eared areas between forest fragments. A total of61 nests were collected from which 33 males and 46 females emerged. The majority oI' nests was collected in continuous forests, at 15 m heighl, in holes 4.8 mm in diameter. No nest was collected in cleared areas. There was no correlation, neither belween number ofnests and monthly precipitation, nor belween the monlhly nllmber of nests constructed in the IWO conseclllive years. No nesl was conslructed belween JanllaJY and Jllne 1989. Overall, lhis coincided wilh lhe period ofleast activity ofother trap-nesting bees in the sllldieel areas. The nests consisted 01' a linear series 01' brooel cells with walls made ofresinolls materialmixeel with small wood chips. The average length of lhe provisioned cell was 13,4 mm. Half 01' lhis lenglh was occupied by a pollcn mass. The nlll11ber ofprovisioned cells varied between two and nine. In 52% 01' the nesls lhere was brood morlalily in aI least one cell. The phorid f1y Phalacr%-phol'O (Omapan/a) sp. was lhe only nest associale, emerged, Irom just one cell.

Trap-nest occupation by solitary wasps and bees (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) in a forest urban remanent

“…Aguiar & Garófalo (2004) found significant correlations between number of nests occupied by Centris (Hemisiella) tarsata Smith and monthly precipitation in the State of Bahia. However, in a study done in the Central Amazon region, no significant correlation was found between rainfall and number of nests occupied by Anthodioctes moratoi Urban (Morato 2001b). In general, although no significant correlation was found between temperature, rainfall, and nesting frequency of other species in our study, the climate directly influenced environmentrelated variables such as system productivity (Begon et al 1996) and the resources availability for nest construction and maintenance (mud, preys and pollen).…”

Small-scale area effect on species richness and nesting occupancy of cavity-nesting bees and wasps

“…We confirmed this prediction with the results obtained for A. megachiloides, although this species had low frequency of occurrence in the studied area, occupying a greater number of nests in smaller areas. Another Anthodioctes species, A. moratoi established a greater number of nests in larger areas (continuous forests) than in forest remnants in Central Amazon (Morato 2001).…”

Phoretic mites (Acari: Chaetodactylidae) associated with the solitary bee Tetrapedia diversipes (Apidae: Tetrapediini)

“…Studies with solitary bees demonstrate the presence of fungi in the nests as the main cause of death (Morato, 2001;Camarotti-deLima and Martins, 2005). Although T. diversipes is a widespread species, the studied nests are from areas of Atlantic Forest with high rainfall rates, in particular during the summer, which most likely contributes to the proliferation of fungi.…”