Abstract
We investigated the nesting behavior of females of Epicharis dejeanii and the architecture of their nests, in a large aggregation in a Restinga area, on Ilha do Superagui, southern Brazil. Surveys were carried out intermittently through the warm-wet seasons from different years between 2013 and 2017. The nest aggregation occupied an area of approximately 2,000 m2 and was situated on a sand bank and on flat sandy soil. Each nest consisted of a long unbranched tunnel, averaging 1.45 ± 0.35 m (N = 8), connected to a single brood cell with a mean length of 3.13 ± 0.2 cm (N = 13) and mean diameter of 1.2 ± 0.1 cm (N = 11). On average, females carried out 4.0 ± 2.4 foraging trips per day (N = 109) to collect floral resources for provisioning brood cells. Similar times were spent by females in their foraging trips for: only pollen (15.8 ± 14.3 min, N = 72), oil (22.5 ± 15.7 min, N = 45), or both resources (17.0 ± 15.1, N = 63). Our findings reveal that some variation in both nesting architecture and female behavior of E. dejeanii during nesting activities can occur in different locations from the same region.
Highlights
Epicharis belongs to a group of approximately 400 species known as oil-collecting bees, due to the female behavior of collecting floral oils, which are used for both cell construction and larval provisions (Alves-dosSantos et al, 2007; Gaglianone et al, 2011)
Our results on E. dejeanii agree in great part with those of Hiller and Wittmann (1994) as well as Dec and Vivallo (2019), who studied the nest architecture of this species in southern Brazil
The aggregations studied by these authors, as in our study, were constructed in sandy soil and nests were similar in their general structure, including the characteristics of the brood cell and diameters of tunnel, nest entrance and tumulus surrounding the entrance
Summary
Epicharis Klug, 1807 (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini) is an exclusively Neotropical genus of bees representing about 35 species, which exhibit solitary behavior, the habit of digging their nests in the ground, usually in large aggregations (Roubik & Michener, 1980; Hiller & Wittmann, 1994; Gaglianone, 2005; Thiele & Inouye, 2007; Rocha-Filho et al, 2008; Rozen, 2016; Dec & Vivallo, 2019). Aspects of the nesting biology for different species of Epicharis, including details on the nest architecture and female behavior during nest construction and cell provisioning, have been studied in seven out of nine subgenera belonging to the genus (see Gaglianone, 2005). Epicharis (Anepicharis) dejeanii Lepeletier, 1841, the only member of this subgenus (Moure et al, 2012), is a univoltine species that constructs its nests in aggregations in sandy soil (Hiller & Wittmann, 1994; Dec & Vivallo, 2019). In Brazil, E. dejeanii is widely distributed, occurring from the northern (Amazonia) to the southern region (Atlantic Forest) (Hiller & Wittmann, 1994; Steiner et al, 2010; Moure et al, 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
