Abstract
The main objective of the present study was to understand the botanical species visited by nocturnal bees in an area of deciduous forest in the state of Bahia, Brazil. For this, bees were collected using an adaptation of the black light trap and odoriferous baits with attractive volatiles. The collected bees were sacrificed and the pollen grains, adhered to their bodies, were removed and chemically processed. Pollen types were identified, occurrence classes were determined and the breadth and overlap of trophic niches were calculated. Two species of nocturnal bees were identified: Megalopta amoena (Halictidae) and Ptiloglossa ducalis (Colletidae). A total of 36 pollen types belonging to 19 botanical families were identified in the nocturnal bees studied. The pollen types Syagrus, Psidium and Asteraceae were the most abundant in the samples. Megalopta amoena presented a broader trophic niche than P. ducalis and moderate overlap was observed between the two species of nocturnal bees studied. The collection methods showed promise in the study area. This study provided important answers about the ecology of these bees, such as the greater attractiveness of the odor trap for capturing Megalopta bees and the light trap for Ptiloglossa bees, as well as the greater attractiveness of methyl salicylate for capture compared to other floral volatiles, in addition to possible preferences based on the flora available through pollen analysis.
Published Version
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