ABSTRACT
This paper presents information about the species richness and abundance of orchid bees in the transitional area between the Cerrado and the Amazon Forest in the Xingu river basin. The males were collected in a forest fragment in the municipality of Ribeirão Cascalheira, northeast Mato Grosso state, Brazil, between 1 and 5 November 2011. Benzyl benzoate, 1.8 cineole, eugenol and vanillin were used as baits, to attract the bees using insect nets and methyl salicylate was used only in the bottle traps. A total of 168 males belonged to four of five Euglossini genera distributed among 16 species were recorded. The greatest species richness was registered in the genus Euglossa, however Eulaema nigrita, was the most abundant Euglossine species in the community. The species richness varied between the edge and the first point within the fragment. The males were more active between 10:00 and 11:00 h, and the 1.8 cineole was the most attractive substance. The fragment studied contained representative species richness of orchid bees in a region of widespread environmental heterogeneity, which is still largely unknown as regards its pollinators and deserves attention for the compilation of new inventories.
En este trabajo se presenta información sobre la riqueza de especies y abundancia de Euglossini en la zona de transición entre el Cerrado y la selva amazónica, en la cuenca del río Xingu. Las muestras se recogieron en un fragmento de bosque en el municipio de Ribeirão Cascalheira, nordeste de Mato Grosso, Brasil, entre el 1 y 5 de noviembre de 2011. Las sustancias puras de benzoato de bencilo, 1,8 cineol, eugenol y la vainillina fueron utilizadas como cebos para atraer los machos usando red de insectos aunque el salicilato de metilo se utilizó en trampas pasivas. Un total de 168 machos pertenecientes a cuatro géneros fueron registrados, distribuidos en 16 especies. La mayor riqueza de especies se registró en el género Euglossa, aunque Eulaema nigrita fue la especie más abundante en la comunidad. La riqueza de especies varió entre el borde y el primer punto dentro del fragmento. Los machos de abejas de orquídeas eran más activos entre 10:00-11:00 h, y el 1,8 cineol fue la sustancia pura más atractiva. El fragmento estudiado contenía un alto grado de riqueza de especies de abejas de orquídeas en una región de heterogeneidad ambiental extensa, que sigue siendo en gran parte desconocido con relación a su fauna de insectos polinizadores y merece la atención para la elaboración de nuevos inventarios.
ABSTRACT
By attracting male orchid bees with eight chemical baits in the gallery forest of the Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Guimarães, southern Mato Grosso state, Brazil, I found several males belongs to all Euglossini bee genera. Male euglosine bees were collected monthly using an entomological net as they arrived at the baits. From September 2003 to July 2005, the baits were applied to absorbent paper pads from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. From 24 collections, a total of 264 males were captured, spread throughout the five genera of the tribe and belonging to 30 valid species. Of all the males collected, only one was Euglossa cognata Moure, reported to occur from Costa Rica to southern Brazil, and herein recorded to the Platina Basin for the first time. The results clarify the distributional gap and amplified the geographic distributional range of E. cognata in South America.
Oito iscas-odores foram utilizadas para atrair machos das abelhas Euglossini na floresta de galeria do Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Guimarães, sul de Mato Grosso. De setembro de 2003 a julho de 2005, uma vez por mês, das 08:00 às 16:00 horas, os machos foram capturados conforme chegavam às iscas-odores. Durante as 24 coletas, foram capturados 264 machos, distribuídos pelos cinco gêneros da tribo e pertencentes a 30 espécies válidas. Do total de machos coletados, apenas um era de Euglossa cognata Moure, espécie com distribuição geográfica desde a Costa Rica até o sudeste do Brasil, todavia sem registro anterior para a Bacia Platina. O resultado aqui apresentado amplia a distribuição geográfica de E. cognata na América do Sul.