Pollen harvest features of the Central Amazonian bee Scaptotrigona fulvicutis Moure 1964 (Apidae: Meliponinae), in Brazil

Antonio Carlos Marques-Souza,Warwick Estevam Kerr,Maria Lúcia Absy

doi:10.1590/s0102-33062007000100002

Abstract

Over a twelve-month period, pollen loads transported by Scaptotrigona fulvicutis Moure 1964 were collected from the workers corbiculae right after the hive entrance closure in an area of old secondary forest mixed with some exotic fruit trees and ornamentals. Once the pollen grains were identified, their monthly frequency in the samples and grouping by botanical family established that Mimosaceae, Myrtaceae and Sapindaceae were the most frequently visited. The workers harvested the pollen from 97 plant species distributed in 73 genera and 36 families, mostly: Stryphnodendron guianense (Aubl.) Benth. in April (57,37%) and Schefflera morototoni (Aubl.) Frodin in May (54,73%). The harvested pollen types abundance matrix showed that there was little species dissimilarity between the months, which resulted in the formation of two large groups.

Highlights

Social bees represent a very important group of pollinators harvesting nectar and pollen in the tropical regions (Lobreau-Callen et al 1990)
Despite the low frequency of several plant species in the samples from Scaptotrigona fulvicutis Moure 1964, these data indicated a high degree of dispersion in the pollen harvests of this bee
They indicated the greatest pollen abundance in six plant species belonging to five families, which were present in the harvests of the two month groups

Summary

Introduction

Social bees represent a very important group of pollinators harvesting nectar and pollen in the tropical regions (Lobreau-Callen et al 1990). They are responsible for higher production of fruits and seeds (Nassar & Carvalho 1990) through migratory apiculture in several parts of Brazil. Stingless bees play an essential role in the fertilization of plant species, and are the main pollinators of many plants in the Amazon region. The majority of these plants are bisexual, requiring an external agent for carrying pollen from one flower to another. Without bees, the many flowering plant species would disappear within one or two generations (Kerr 1978)

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Conclusion