Pollen sources of the orchid bee Euglossa annectans Dressler 1982 (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Euglossini) analyzed from larval provisions

Abstract

AbStrACt. In order to analyze the pollen resources used by the orchid bee Euglossa annectans, samples of larval provisions from cells under construction were taken from 12 different trap nests (wooden boxes) on Santa Catarina Island, southern Brazil. The 43 samples collected between 2002 and 2005 represented all months except December. Overall, 74 pollen types from 24 families were distinguished. Among the 26 pollen types that reached more than 10% in monthly means, the families Melastomataceae, Bromeliaceae, Ochnaceae, Fabaceae, and Myrtaceae were most frequently represented. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index H' for the 43 brood cells varied from 0.10-1.65 and the annual diversity was 0.98. Similarity indices ranged from 0 to 0.87 and were highest during spring and summer. The results characterize E. annectans as a polylectic species. Based on these data, we can conclude that Euglossa females may act as pollinators of many forest species.

Floral Resources Used by Euglossini Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Coastal Ecosystems of the Atlantic Forest

“…Results from the present study support findings from previous studies that report that species of plants from the Solanaceae, Fabaceae, and Melastomaceae families are among the most important sources of pollen for Euglossini species [44,[57][58][59][60]. This information strongly suggests that Euglossini females exhibit certain consistency in collecting pollen, particularly from species whose flowers have poricidal anthers.…”

“…As reported for other Euglossini species [35,39,43,44,57,58], the species sampled in Ubatuba can also be characterised as polylectic. This conclusion is supported not only by the records of male and female bees on flowers but also the analysis of pollen loads from the corbiculae and other parts of the bodies of females, from which more than 100 plant species exploited as sources of pollen, nectar, resin, and floral fragrances were identified.…”

“…(Burseraceae), Anacardium L., and Spondias L. (Anacardiaceae), can be scraped by Euglossini females to obtain resin [4,57], species of Clusia L. (Clusiaceae) are also visited for the collection of that resource, which is used in the construction of nests and brood cells [67,68]. However, Dalechampia flowers (Euphorbiaceae) are most commonly cited as major sources of resin for diverse species of Eufriesea, Euglossa, and Eulaema [20,38,44,58,69,70]. In the present study, the only identified source of resin was a species of the genus Dalechampia, showing, once again, the association of Euglossini species with a species of that genus.…”

The importance of plant diversity in maintaining the pollinator bee, Eulaema nigrita (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in sweet passion fruit fields

“…This pattern was also exhibited by other species of euglossine bees such as Euglossa atroveneta Dressler, 1978(Arriaga & Hernán-dez 1998 and Euglossa annectans Dressler, 1982(Cortopassi-Laurino et al 2009.…”

Euglossine bee communities in small forest fragments of the Atlantic Forest, Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

“…The occurrence of Euglossa annectans, associated with higher altitudes and marginally with lower temperature and higher humidity and precipitation, demonstrates the habitat preference of this species, as observed in the region of DMOF. Other studies also showed the presence of this species at higher altitudes in the state of São Paulo (Garófalo et al 1998) and Minas Gerais (Nemésio & Silveira 2007), however in southern Brazil it was also recorded in less elevated areas (Cortopassi-Laurino et al 2009), but in mild temperatures, like those found in DMOF. The abundance pattern of Euglossa securigera and E. fimbriata and the occurrence of E. despecta only in SSSF resulted in the grouping of fragments of this phytophysiognomy in the performed analysis.…”