Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard) (Hymenoptera: Apidae): an orchid Bee apparently sensitive to size reduction in forest patches

Abstract

Edited by Fernando B Noll -UNESP Neotropical Entomology 38(5):610-615 (2009) ABSTRACT -Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard) is a very seasonal euglossine species, more frequently found in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil. A number of studies have revealed large variations in the abundance of males of this species present in Atlantic Forest remnants throughout both regions. In this paper, we report variations in the abundance of E. violacea males sampled in several forest patches of different sizes (ranging from 10 to 580 ha), and we propose that this species is possibly sensitive to the reduction in size of forest remnants. Surveys were carried out in nine forest remnants of Atlantic rainforest located in northern Paraná State, southern Brazil. Male euglossine bees were collected with an entomological net when visiting scent-baits, between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm, from October to December of 2001 and 2006. A total of 360 E. violacea males were captured in the nine forest fragments studied. The number of bees attracted to scent baits in each forest patch varied from zero to 261. A very high association (r = 0.993) was detected between the forest patch size and the visitation rate of E. violacea males at different sites, with the highest mean number of males visiting baits/sampling (43.5) being observed for bees from the largest forest remnant. Although alternative hypothesis should not be discharged for the decline in the abundance or absence of E. violacea in small forest patches, our results indicate that populations of this euglossine species need larger forest areas for existing.

Orchid bees: a new assessment on the rarity of diploid males in populations of this group of Neotropical pollinators

“…Based on our findings, we suggest that, in addition to other euglossine species that have been pointed out as potentially more sensitive to habitat disturbance (Powell and Powell 1987;Tonhasca et al 2002;Giangarelli et al 2009), Eg. annectans is another Euglossini species sensitive to anthropogenic interference.…”

“…Some euglossine species are apparently sensitive to environmental disturbances (Powell and Powell 1987;Tonhasca et al 2002;Giangarelli et al 2009;Nemésio 2013), such as forest fragmentation and reduction in fragment size (Powell and Powell 1987;Sofia and Suzuki 2004;Giangarelli et al 2009). Apart from reductions in the abundance of orchid bees in forest fragments of reduced size, studies have shown that some species may have stronger dispersal limitations in fragmented landscapes, and the type of matrix may also affect the dispersal of some species of the group differently (Powell and Powell 1987;Milet-Pinheiro and Schlindwein 2005).…”

Habitat Fragmentation Effects on the Orchid Bee Communities in Remnant Forests of Southeastern Brazil

“…Considering that insects, mainly bees, can be used as indicators in studies on the effects of habitat fragmentation (Brown 1991), our data show that at least in the region studied, Eulaema nigrita can be used as a bioindicator of environmental perturbation in long-term studies for monitoring forest fragments. Similarly, Eufriesea violacea can be a bioindicator of conservation in forest habitats (Sofia & Suzuki 2004, Giangarelli et al 2009.…”

Mitochondrial DNA of Euglossa iopoecila (Apidae, Euglossini) reveals two distinct lineages for this orchid bee species endemic to the Atlantic Forest

“…In the Neotropics, several species of Euglossini bees, also known as orchid bees, have been the focus of genetic studies over the last decade, since it has been suggested by different authors that some species of this group of bees could be adversely affected by deforestation and habitat fragmentation (Giangarelli et al 2009; Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13592-014-0329-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. 2011).…”