Abstract
This study was carried out in the Parque Municipal das Araucárias, located in the municipality of Guarapuava (PR) from May (06) to April (07). Its aim was to investigate which plants are used by Megachile (Moureapis) sp in provisioning of larvae, and to verify if this bee is oligolectic or polilectic. The collection of the plants was carried out during the bees activity period and in an area covering a 500 m radius from where the nests had been built. A sample of pollens from founded nests and from flowers was used to make permanent slides using the acetolysis method and with the aid of a light microscope, all pollen grains were examined in order to identify the plants used by this bee. A total of 80 pollen grain slides, from 16 nests were analysed. Although 99 plants were collected close to the bee's nesting site, in nest slides, the pollen of Ludwigia peruviana (36%) and Ludwigia sericea (63.6%) (Onagraceae) accounted for 99.6% of the total amount of pollen collected. With these results we are able to conclude that Megachile (Moureapis) sp is an oligolectic species and that these plants species are their important pollen source.
Highlights
It is estimated that there are today, approximately four thousand amply distributed bee genera (Michener, 2000), with over twenty thousand described species (Alves-dos-Santos, 2002)
Our results show that the two species of Ludwigia are basically the only source of pollen used by this bee in the provisioning of the nests
The fact that the pollen of Ludwigia sericea appeared on the slides in considerably higher quantities does not mean that there is a preference for Ludwigia sericea by Megachile (Moureapis) sp. because the analysis of each individual nest showed that Ludwigia peruviana was present in higher quantities
Summary
It is estimated that there are today, approximately four thousand amply distributed bee genera (Michener, 2000), with over twenty thousand described species (Alves-dos-Santos, 2002). More than 80% are solitary, 15% infest other species’ nests and 5% exhibit some degree of sociality (Campos et al, 1987). The factors that explain or alter the distribution of Apoidea are probably related to the local flora abundance and diversity (Silveira et al, 2002), as well as to the occurrence of appropriate nesting sites (Linsley, 1958). As opposed to that which has been observed for social bees, the diversity and abundance of solitary bees increases from the Equator towards the north and south poles. In South America, bee diversity is richer from the “cerrado” (Brazilian savannah) towards the southern native fields of Brazil (Michener, 1979). Bees of the family Megachilidae are well represented in low altitude areas in southern Brazil and poorly
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