Abstract
Orchid bees are a conspicuous component of the neotropical bee fauna, with a few species reaching the northernmost natural distribution for the group in northwestern continental Mexico. Among them, Euglossa viridissima Friese is here reported for the first time in the Cape Region of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico, where no species of the group have been found previously. These records are presented, their biogeographical implications discussed, and some interpretations of the local factors that influence the bees is presented.
Highlights
Under the recent documentation of the decline of local pollinator populations (Biesmeijer et al 2006, Burkle et al 2013), it is important to monitor the bee fauna composition at local levels (Potts et al 2010, Goulson et al 2015)
The ecotones mark the delimitation of the Cape Region within the subdivision of the Sonoran desert (Axelrod 1978, Rzedowski 2006)
An important component of the vegetation of the area are the oases, which are patches of vegetation associated with fresh water springs, which provide water, food and shelter in the middle of arid conditions of the peninsula (Arriaga and Rodríguez-Estrella 1997)
Summary
Under the recent documentation of the decline of local pollinator populations (Biesmeijer et al 2006, Burkle et al 2013), it is important to monitor the bee fauna composition at local levels (Potts et al 2010, Goulson et al 2015). A notable example of an introduction to a distant area is Euglossa dilemma Bembé & Eltz which was discovered in 2003 in southern Florida, and is naturalized (Skov and Wiley 2005, Pemberton and Wheeler 2006). This species is a cryptic sibling species of E. viridissima Friese from which it was recently split (Eltz et al 2011). Euglossa viridissima occurs from Guatemala throughout southern and central Mexico, being one of the few euglossine species that reach the northwestern continental areas of Mexico (Búrquez 1997, HinojosaDíaz et al 2009) with no previous records (before this work) in the Baja California Peninsula. The biogeographical implications of these records and local factors that could influence its distribution is briefly discussed
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