PHYLOGENY ANDBIOLOGY OFNEOTROPICALORCHIDBEES(EUGLOSSINI)

Abstract

Orchid bees (Euglossini), noted for their brilliant iridescence, are elusive pollinators throughout the American tropics. Males are especially important in the pollination of some orchids, from which they collect aromatic fragrances thought to play a role in territorial display and courtship. The tribe contains approximately 190 described species divided among five genera, distributed from Mexico to central Argentina. Relatively intense study of their biology in the 1960s through the mid-1980s shed light on their nesting biology, chemical ecology, and classification. Vigorous taxonomic research led to the naming of many new species, revisions, and checklists, but phylogenetic studies were scarce. In the two decades following the last comprehensive review, phylogenetic research has resulted in new hypotheses of generic relationships, and further examination of male display has led to additional interpretations. Females in natural and artificial nesting cavities have revealed social interactions and additional details of parasitism within the nest. This review emphasizes areas in need of more study, particularly phylogeny, phylogeography, chemosensory ecology, and comparative behavior, and highlights how historical context can guide future research.

Occurrence of Eulaema (Apeulaema) pseudocingulata Oliveira (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini) in the Platina Basin, Mato Grosso State, Brazil

“…The cleptoparasitic genus Exaerete Hoffmannsegg is represented by seven species, ranging from Mexico to southern Argentina (Anjos-Silva & Rebêlo 2006), and Aglae Lepeletier & Serville is a monotypic genus that was presumed to occur only in the Amazon Basin (Moure 1964(Moure , 1967Michener 2000, Cameron 2004 (Wittmann et al 1988) (Brazil), Missiones (Argentina) and Paraguay to central Mexico (Moure 2000, Michener 2000, Cameron 2004, Oliveira 2006a). This genus was initially represented by 15 species (Moure 1950, Dressler 1979, Ospina-Torres 1998 According to existing literature, the E. cingulata occurs from northwest Mexico to Bolivia and southern Brazil, whereas distribution of the E. pseudocingulata Oliveira is restricted to the Amazon Basin, Venezuela and Trinidad & Tobago.…”

Do euglossine males (Apidae, Euglossini) leave tropical rainforest to collect fragrances in sugarcane monocultures?

“…As effective pollinators they display relationships with numerous associated plant species, including buzz-pollination flowers, resin flowers, perfume flowers and long-tubed nectar flowers, playing thus, a key role in maintaining diversity in tropical rainforests (DRESSLER 1982, BUCHMANN 1983, ACKERMAN 1985, ROUBIK 1989, SCHLINDWEIN 2000, CAMERON 2004). …”

“…One of the outstanding features of euglossine bees is that males collect floral perfumes (volatile lipids) produced in osmophores of more than 700 species of Orchidaceae and other plant families (VOGEL 1962, 1966, 1999, DRESSLER 1982, CAMERON 2004.…”

The Ecological Basis for Biogeographic Classification: an Example in Orchid Bees (Apidae: Euglossini)

“…For the purpose of categorization, social behavior was determined as follows: Aglae and Exaerete were classified as parasitic (Cameron 2004, Garófalo 2006, Nemésio and Silveira 2006, Eufriesea as solitary (Kimsey 1982, Cameron 2004, Garófalo 2006, Euglossa as communal-solitary (Eberhard 1989, Soucy et al 2003, Augusto & Garófalo 2004, and Eulaema as communal (Bennett 1965, Santos & Garófalo 1994, Cameron 2004). …”

“…Although the genera are clearly defined, the occurrence of many differences within the tribe has produced discussions about the relationships among the species (Cameron 2004, Michel-Salzat et al 2004, Michener 2007. Although the Euglossini are accurately characterized as corbiculate (i.e., the hypothesis of monophyly is supported), the biology of the tribe differs from that of its relatives in aspects such as the lack of true social behavior (Noll 2002, Cameron 2004, Nates-Parra 2005 and substantial morphological variability (Michener 2007). Such dissimilarity should contribute to the evolutionary success of the Euglossini (Roubik & Hanson 2004) as well as to their habitat use (Otero & Sandino 2003, Sandino 2004, Uehara-Prado & Garófalo 2006, Parra-H & Nates-Parra 2007.…”