ABSTRACT
Se presenta el primer reporte de la abeja colectora de óleo Centris (Odontoxys) melanochlaena Smith, 1874 en Nicaragua. Esta especie se distribuye en varios países de Centroamérica y México, siendo este el primer reporte en el occidente de Nicaragua. Este registro contribuye al conocimiento del rango de distribución de esta especie, así como también incrementa la lista de especies de abejas nativas de Nicaragua.
The first report of the oil-collecting bee Centris (Odontoxys) melanochlaena Smith, 1874 in Nicaragua is presented. This species occurs in several Central American countries and Mexico, being this the first record from western Nicaragua. This record contributes to the knowledge of the distribution range of this species, as well as increases the list of native bees occurring in Nicaragua.
ABSTRACT
Abstract Megachile Latreille is a conspicuous genus of solitary bees distributed worldwide. However, the biology of tropical species is still little known. We present data on biology of Megachile brasiliensis Data Torre, Megachile sejuncta Cockerell and Megachile stilbonotaspis Moure found in two remnants of eastern Amazonian forest in northeastern Brazil. The study was conducted using the trap-nest methodology in two different areas during four periods. We collected a total of 24 nests of M. brasiliensis, 26 of M. sejuncta and 28 of M. stilbonotaspis. The differential abundance of collected nests may reflect the population size in each sampled place. The nesting activity was concentrated mainly between July and January and species presented a multivoltine pattern, except for M. sejuncta, which was partly univoltine. Assessed pollen use showed a predominant use of Attalea sp. (Arecaceae) and, for M. stilbonotaspis, Tylesia sp. and Lepidaploa sp. (Asteraceae). Babassu is a very common palm in the studied areas and the studied species seem to have a strong link with it. We also reported change of pollen use by M. sejuncta, probably due to competition with M. brasiliensis, which may have influenced the biased sex ratio observed in M. sejuncta toward males. Parasites reported here were also recorded for other Megachile species, such as Coelioxys, Brachymeria, Meloidae and Pyralidae species. Mites were observed in association with M. stilbonotaspis. The data presented here set up a background that encourages new studies on the ecology of these three Amazonian species, providing tools for proper biodiversity management and conservation.
ABSTRACT
Abstract Background Mass spectrometry-guided venom peptide profiling is a powerful tool to explore novel substances from venomous animals in a highly sensitive manner. In this study, this peptide profiling approach is successfully applied to explore the venom peptides of a Japanese solitary carpenter bee, Xylocopa appendiculata (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apidae: Anthophila: Xylocopinae: Xylocopini). Although interesting biological effects of the crude venom of carpenter bees have been reported, the structure and biological function of the venom peptides have not been elucidated yet. Methods The venom peptide profiling of the crude venom of X. appendiculata was performed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectroscopy. The venom was purified by a reverse-phase HPLC. The purified peptides were subjected to the Edman degradation, MS/MS analysis, and/or molecular cloning methods for peptide sequencing. Biological and functional characterization was performed by circular dichroism analysis, liposome leakage assay, and antimicrobial, histamine releasing and hemolytic activity tests. Results Three novel peptides with m/z 16508, 1939.3, and 1900.3 were isolated from the venom of X. appendiculata. The peptide with m/z 16508 was characterized as a secretory phospholipase A2 (PLA2) homolog in which the characteristic cysteine residues as well as the active site residues found in bee PLA2s are highly conserved. Two novel peptides with m/z 1939.3 and m/z 1900.3 were named as Xac-1 and Xac-2, respectively. These peptides are found to be amphiphilic and displayed antimicrobial and hemolytic activities. The potency was almost the same as that of mastoparan isolated from the wasp venom. Conclusion We found three novel biologically active peptides in the venom of X. appendiculata and analyzed their molecular functions, and compared their sequential homology to discuss their molecular diversity. Highly sensitive mass analysis plays an important role in this study.
ABSTRACT
Abstract Background: Among the hymenopteran insect venoms, those from social wasps and bees - such as honeybee, hornets and paper wasps - have been well documented. Their venoms are composed of a number of peptides and proteins and used for defending their nests and themselves from predators. In contrast, the venoms of solitary wasps and bees have not been the object of further research. In case of solitary bees, only major peptide components in a few venoms have been addressed. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the peptide component profile of the venom from the solitary bee Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans by peptidomic analysis with using LC-MS. Methods: A reverse-phase HPLC connected to ESI-OrbiTrap MS was used for LC-MS. On-line mass fingerprinting was made from TIC, and data-dependent tandem mass spectrometry gave MSMS spectra. A major peptide component was isolated by reverse-phase HPLC by conventional way, and its sequence was determined by Edman degradation, which was finally corroborated by solid phase synthesis. Using the synthetic specimen, biological activities (antimicrobial activity, mast cell devaluation, hemolysis, leishmanicidal activity) and pore formation in artificial lipid bilayer were evaluated. Results: On-line mass fingerprinting revealed that the crude venom contained 124 components. MS/MS analysis gave 75 full sequences of the peptide components. Most of these are related to the major and novel peptide, xylopin. Its sequence, GFVALLKKLPLILKHLH-NH2, has characteristic features of linear cationic -helical peptides; rich in hydrophobic and basic amino acids with no disulfide bond, and accordingly, it can be predicted to adopt an amphipathic -helix secondary structure. In biological evaluation, xylopin exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and moderate mast cell degranulation and leishmanicidal activities, but showed virtually no hemolytic activity. Additionally, the peptide was able to incorporate pores in artificial lipid bilayers of azolectin, confirming the mechanism of the cytolytic activity by pore formation in biological membranes. Conclusions: LC-ESI-MS and MS/MS analysis of the crude venom extract from a solitary bee Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans revealed that the component profile of this venom mostly consisted of small peptides. The major peptide components, xylopin and xylopinin, were purified and characterized in a conventional manner. Their chemical and biological characteristics, belonging to linear cationic -helical peptides, are similar to the known solitary bee venom peptides, melectin and osmin. Pore formation in artificial lipid bilayers was demonstrated for the first time with a solitary bee peptide.
ABSTRACT
Background: Among the hymenopteran insect venoms, those from social wasps and bees - such as honeybee, hornets and paper wasps - have been well documented. Their venoms are composed of a number of peptides and proteins and used for defending their nests and themselves from predators. In contrast, the venoms of solitary wasps and bees have not been the object of further research. In case of solitary bees, only major peptide components in a few venoms have been addressed. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the peptide component profile of the venom from the solitary bee Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans by peptidomic analysis with using LC-MS. Methods: A reverse-phase HPLC connected to ESI-OrbiTrap MS was used for LC-MS. On-line mass fingerprinting was made from TIC, and data-dependent tandem mass spectrometry gave MSMS spectra. A major peptide component was isolated by reverse-phase HPLC by conventional way, and its sequence was determined by Edman degradation, which was finally corroborated by solid phase synthesis. Using the synthetic specimen, biological activities (antimicrobial activity, mast cell devaluation, hemolysis, leishmanicidal activity) and pore formation in artificial lipid bilayer were evaluated. Results: On-line mass fingerprinting revealed that the crude venom contained 124 components. MS/MS analysis gave 75 full sequences of the peptide components. Most of these are related to the major and novel peptide, xylopin. Its sequence, GFVALLKKLPLILKHLH-NH2, has characteristic features of linear cationic α-helical peptides; rich in hydrophobic and basic amino acids with no disulfide bond, and accordingly, it can be predicted to adopt an amphipathic α-helix secondary structure. In biological evaluation, xylopin exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and moderate mast cell degranulation and leishmanicidal activities, but showed virtually no hemolytic activity. Additionally, the peptide was able to incorporate pores in artificial lipid bilayers of azolectin, confirming the mechanism of the cytolytic activity by pore formation in biological membranes. Conclusions: LC-ESI-MS and MS/MS analysis of the crude venom extract from a solitary bee Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans revealed that the component profile of this venom mostly consisted of small peptides. The major peptide components, xylopin and xylopinin, were purified and characterized in a conventional manner. Their chemical and biological characteristics, belonging to linear cationic α-helical peptides, are similar to the known solitary bee venom peptides, melectin and osmin. Pore formation in artificial lipid bilayers was demonstrated for the first time with a solitary bee peptide.(AU)
Subject(s)
Animals , Peptides , Bee Venoms , Biological ProductsABSTRACT
Background Mass spectrometry-guided venom peptide profiling is a powerful tool to explore novel substances from venomous animals in a highly sensitive manner. In this study, this peptide profiling approach is successfully applied to explore the venom peptides of a Japanese solitary carpenter bee, Xylocopa appendiculata (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apidae: Anthophila: Xylocopinae: Xylocopini). Although interesting biological effects of the crude venom of carpenter bees have been reported, the structure and biological function of the venom peptides have not been elucidated yet. Methods The venom peptide profiling of the crude venom of X. appendiculata was performed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectroscopy. The venom was purified by a reverse-phase HPLC. The purified peptides were subjected to the Edman degradation, MS/MS analysis, and/or molecular cloning methods for peptide sequencing. Biological and functional characterization was performed by circular dichroism analysis, liposome leakage assay, and antimicrobial, histamine releasing and hemolytic activity tests. Results Three novel peptides with m/z 16508, 1939.3, and 1900.3 were isolated from the venom of X. appendiculata. The peptide with m/z 16508 was characterized as a secretory phospholipase A2 (PLA2) homolog in which the characteristic cysteine residues as well as the active site residues found in bee PLA2s are highly conserved. Two novel peptides with m/z 1939.3 and m/z 1900.3 were named as Xac-1 and Xac-2, respectively. These peptides are found to be amphiphilic and displayed antimicrobial and hemolytic activities. The potency was almost the same as that of mastoparan isolated from the wasp venom. Conclusion We found three novel biologically active peptides in the venom of X. appendiculata and analyzed their molecular functions, and compared their sequential homology to discuss their molecular diversity. Highly sensitive mass analysis plays an important role in this study.(AU)
Subject(s)
Animals , Peptides , Mass Spectrometry , Bee Venoms , Bees , Biological ProductsABSTRACT
Abstract:The Neotropical bee Centris (Hemisiella) dichrootricha is a solitary bee that nests in pre-existing cavities that occur in the rain forest. This study describes the nesting biology of C. dichrootricha and its preference for nesting in Cerrado and gallery forest habitats. The study was conducted from January 2012 and December 2013, in Mirador State Park in the municipality of Formosa da Serra Negra, Maranhão State, Brazil. For this, wooden trap-nests of 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 mm in diameter were used; a total of 300 trap-nests were placed in the gallery forest and Cerrado areas, respectively. Traps were monitored monthly and all completed nests were collected and replaced with empty ones. The nests were then taken to the laboratory to analyze bee development and emergence, nests characteristics and parasites presence. The species used 29 of the trap-nests, which had diameters of 8, 10, 12 and 14 mm. A total of 87 C. dichrootricha specimens emerged. The nests were parasitized by two bee species, Mesocheira bicolor (Apinae) and Coelioxys sp. (Megachilinae), and one fly species, Antrax sp. (Diptera). The highest nesting incidence of 72.4 % was observed in the gallery forest, whereas only 27.6 % in the Cerrado; this difference in habitat use was significant (χ² = 5.56; p < 0.05; DF = 1). For the nests that were built in the gallery forest, 80.9% of the soil originated from the Cerrado. The females were significantly larger than the males (F1, 76 = 595.19; p < 0.001). There were 11 pollen types that belonged to six families. Pollen of the family Malpighiaceae was most frequently used, with four species represented (Byrsonima crassifolia, B. rotunda, B. spicata and Heteropterys sp.). C. dichrootricha showed a preference for nesting in cavities of various diameters in gallery forest sites. The present study provides a novel description of the nesting habits and biology of C. dichrootricha in habitats of Central/Southern Maranhão. C. dichrootricha primarily used resources from the Cerrado, including soil to build their nests, pollen and floral oils; we concluded that gallery forest and Cerrado areas are intrinsically related to the maintenance of local populations of this species. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (3): 1041-1056. Epub 2016 September 01.
ResumenCentris (Hemisiella) dichrootricha es una especie de abeja solitaria neotropical, que anida en cavidades preexistentes y vive en la selva tropical. El presente estudio describe la biología de anidación de C. dichrootricha y su preferencia de nidificación por áreas en Cerrado y Bosque de Galería. El área de estudio se localiza en el Parque Estadual de Mirador, municipio de Formosa da Serra Negra, Maranhão. El método empleado fue el de nidos trampa de madera de diferentes diámetros, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 y 16 mm, colocándose 300 nidos trampa por área. Las trampas fueron monitoreadas mensualmente y todos los nidos terminados fueron recogidos y sustituidos por otros vacíos. Los nidos completos fueron llevados al laboratorio para analizar el desarrollo de la abeja, la emergencia, las características de los nidos y la presencia de parásitos. La especie ocupó 29 nidos de los diámetros de 8, 10, 12 y 14 mm. Emergieron 87 individuos de C. dichrootricha. Los nidos fueron parasitados por tres especies: Mesocheira bicolor (Apinae), Coelioxys sp. (Megachilinae) y Antrax sp. (Diptera). En el Bosque de Galería se presentó la mayor nidificación (72.4 %) y en el Cerrado solamente 27.6 %, de esta forma, hubo diferencias significativas entre los hábitats (χ² = 5.56; p < 0.05; G. L.= 1). Los nidos fundados en el bosque de galería presentaron 80.9 % de sedimento originario del Cerrado. Las hembras fueron significativamente más grandes que los machos (F1, 76 = 595.19; p < 0.001). Hubo 11 tipos de polen pertenecientes a seis familias. Los tipos de polinización de la familia Malpighiaceae fueron los más representativos, con cuatro especies: Byrsonima crassifolia, B. rotunda, B. spicata y Heteropterys sp. C. dichrootricha mostró preferencia por nidificar en cavidades con diámetros variados y en el bosque de galería. El presente estudio contribuye con la descripción de los hábitos de nidificación y la biología de la especie para las áreas de Cerrado en la región centrosur de Maranhão. C. dichrootricha utilizó en su mayoría recursos provenientes del Cerrado, tanto sedimento para construir el nido, como material polínico y aceite floral. Estós datos indican que el bosque de galería y el Cerrado están intrínsecamente relacionados con el mantenimiento y conservación de C. dichrootricha.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Female , Bees/physiology , Forests , Nesting Behavior/physiology , Pollen/classification , Seasons , Species Specificity , Time Factors , Brazil , Sex Factors , Sex Distribution , Animal DistributionABSTRACT
Nests of Hylaeus aff. guaraniticus (Schrottky, 1906) were parasited by females of Gasteruption brachychaetum Schrottky, 1906 in trap nests in São Paulo (Brazil). This is thefirst host record of a Gasteruptiidae in the Neotropical Region. The behavior of a G.brachychaetum female entering a host's nest is described as follows: an inquiline female hovered near the host's nest, landed and detected that a female of H. aff. guaraniticus was inside the nest, waited for the host female to fly out, entered backwards into the nest, remained there for almost six minutes, and then went out the nest. The development time of immature stages of G.brachychaetum varied between 16 and 299 days.
Ninhos de Hylaeus aff. guaraniticus (Schrottky, 1906)foram parasitados por fêmeas de Gasteruption brachychaetum Schrottky, 1906 em ninhos-armadilha em São Paulo (Brasil). Este é o primeiro registro de hospedeiro de um Gasteruptiidae na região Neotropical. O comportamento de uma fêmea entrando no ninho do hospedeiro é descrito: a fêmea inquilina pairou sobre o ninho do hospedeiro, pousou e detectou que a fêmea de H. aff. guaraniticus estava dentro do ninho, esperou a fêmea hospedeira voar para fora do ninho, entrou de costas no ninho, permanecendo no local por quase seis minutos, em seguida, partiu voando. O tempo de desenvolvimento dos imaturos de G.brachychaetum variou entre 16 e 229 dias.
ABSTRACT
Small-scale area effect on species richness and nesting occupancy of cavity-nesting bees and wasps. The research was conducted in an urban forest remnant in southeast Brazil. We tested the predictions of the following hypotheses: (1) larger areas present higher species richness of bees and wasps, (2) solitary bees and wasps occupy more nests in larger areas, (3) rare species occupy more nests in smaller areas. We sampled Aculeate bees and wasps using trap nests from February to November 2004. We placed trap nests in sampling units (SU) with different size (25, 100 and 400 m²) located in 6 ha of secondary mesophytic forest. One hundred and thirty-seven trap nests were occupied by seven species of bees and four species of wasps. We found an increase in wasp, but not bee species richness following increase in SU size. Hymenoptera richness (i.e. bees plus wasps) was also greater in larger SU. Both the number and density of occupied nests increased with SU size. The wasp Trypoxylon lactitarse responded significantly to area size, larger SU having more occupied nests. The same pattern was exhibited by the wasp Auplopus militaris, the Megachile bee species, and the bee Anthodioctes megachiloides. Only Trypoxylon sp. was not affected by SU size. Our results show that cavity-nesting bee and wasps respond differently to the area effects. Such findings must be complemented by information on the frequency and dynamics of area colonization and nest occupancy by species of solitary Hymenoptera.
Efeito de área em pequena escala sobre a riqueza e comportamento de nidificação de abelhas e vespas solitárias. Este trabalho foi realizado em fragmento florestal urbano localizado na região sudeste do Brasil. Foram testadas as predições das seguintes hipóteses: (1) áreas maiores apresentam maior riqueza de espécies de abelhas e vespas que nidificam em cavidades pré-existentes, (2) espécies de abelhas e vespas que nidificam em cavidades pré-existentes ocupam mais ninhos em áreas maiores, (3) espécies raras ocupam mais ninhos em áreas menores. Estes insetos foram amostrados por meio de ninhos-armadilha de fevereiro a novembro de 2004. As armadilhas foram dispostas em unidades amostrais com diferentes tamanhos (25, 100 e 400 m²), alocadas em um fragmento de floresta mesofítica de 6 ha. Cento e trinta e sete armadilhas foram ocupadas por sete espécies de abelhas e quatro espécies de vespa. Observamos um aumento na riqueza de vespas associado a uma maior área amostral; não observamos o mesmo para abelhas. A riqueza de espécies de Hymenoptera (abelhas e vespas, em conjunto) foi maior em áreas maiores. Tanto a abundância quanto a densidade de ninhos ocupados por abelhas e vespas aumentou com o aumento da unidade amostral. Trypoxylon lactitarse ocorreu mais frequentemente em áreas maiores. O mesmo padrão foi observado para Auplopus militaris, espécies do gênero Megachile e Anthodioctes megachiloides. Apenas Trypoxylon sp. não foi afetada pelo tamanho da unidade amostral. Os resultados do estudo mostram que abelhas e vespas solitárias respondem de maneira diferente ao tamanho de área. O entendimento dessas relações deve ser complementado por informações sobre a frequência e dinâmica de ocupação de ninhos e colonização de áreas por abelhas e vespas solitárias.
ABSTRACT
Centris aenea Lepeletier is a solitary bee that has raised interest in management to pollinate crops, such as acerola, Malpighia emarginata. This study investigated the level of morphometric variability among populations of C. aenea from Northeastern Brazil. Traditional and geometric morphometric analyses were used. Head length, leg length, wing length, and wing shape were measured in samples (5-10 females) from eight localities. We did not find statistically significant differences among the populations (P > 0.01). The partial wing warps were similar in the populations and indicated that the bees were not morphometrically different. Our results suggest that C. aenea shows low population morphometric variability and highlight the need for further investigations on population variation in this species, preferably including populations sampled at the extremes of their geographic distribution. Significant insight into the population variation of C. aenea will probably require the use of molecular markers to allow a comparative approach between morphometric variability and genetic variability.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Bees/anatomy & histology , BrazilABSTRACT
The nesting behavior of Centris (Hemisiella) vittata Lepeletier was studied in the Urbano Santos Cerrado in the northeast of Maranhão State, Brazil. To date, this species has only been studied in trap-nests. The nesting behavior of this species in a natural condition is recorded for the first time. Nesting occurred in preexisting holes in dead trunks of aroeira, Astronium myracrodruon (Anacardiaceae), at the end of the rainy season. The cells were constructed with a mixture of sand and oil. After finishing the nests, females used only oil to line the entrance wall. Two females collected sand at the same time to build their nests, and another one was seen collecting resources at Byrsonima sp. (Malpighiaceae). The pollen load of one bee was analyzed and was found to contain mainly Hymenaea courbaril (Leg-Caesalpiniaceae). Development from egg to adult took about 60 days. Protandry was observed, being males smaller than females. The nests were parasitized by Coleoptera and Diptera. However, the females only showed aggressive behavior against females of the same species or genus.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Male , Bees , Nesting Behavior , Brazil , Bees/anatomy & histologyABSTRACT
Cleptoparasite bees lay their eggs inside nests constructed by other bee species and the larvae feed on pollen provided by the host, in this case, solitary bees. The cleptoparasite (adult and larvae) show many morphological and behavior adaptations to this life style. In this paper I present some data on the cleptoparasite bees whose hosts are bees specialized to collect floral oil.
Las abejas Cleptoparásitas depositan sus huevos en nidos construídos por otras especies de abejas y las larvas se alimentan del polen que proveen las hospederas, en este caso, abejas solitarias. El cleptoparásito (adulo y larva) muestra muchas adaptaciones morfológicas y comportamentales para este estilo de vida. En este manuscrito presento datos sobre abejas cleptoparásitas cuyos hospederos son abejas especializadas en recolectar aceite floral.
ABSTRACT
Foi estabelecido um protocolo de tratamento para análise do resíduo polínico de ninhos de Centris tarsata Smith, obtidos através do uso de ninhos-armadilha. A área estudada localiza-se na Estação Biológica de Canudos, município de Canudos (09º56'34"S; 38º59'17"W), microrregião Nordeste da Bahia. A vegetação local é de caatinga hiperxerófila arbustiva, o clima é semi-árido, com temperatura média anual de 24,1ºC e precipitação anual de 454 mm. Foram utilizados dez ninhos de C. tarsata coletados dos ninhos-armadilha no primeiro semestre de 2004. Para a análise palinológica do conteúdo dos ninhos, foi necessário o estabelecimento de um método adequado, elaborado a partir da análise de sedimentos em paleopalinologia e de procedimentos de acetólise usuais em palinologia. As análises microscópicas foram realizadas sob microscopia óptica. Foram identificados 17 tipos polínicos relacionados a sete famílias vegetais, contudo estes se apresentaram nos ninhos em associações de cinco a onze tipos distintos, indicando quais plantas foram utilizadas pelas abelhas na nutrição das crias. As famílias mais representadas foram Leguminosae (49,3 por cento) e Solanaceae (43,2 por cento) e os tipos polínicos com as maiores frequências de grãos encontrados foram Solanum paniculatum (43,8 por cento) e Senna rizzini (32,1 por cento). O protocolo desenvolvido proporciona uma nova técnica de estudos sobre a dieta de Centris e outros grupos de abelhas solitárias.
A new treatment protocol was developed to analyze pollen residues found in nests of Centris tarsata Smith harvested from nest-traps. The study area was located in the Canudos Biological Station in the municipality of Canudos (09º56'34"S; 38º59'17"W), in the northeastern micro-region of Bahia State, Brazil. The local vegetation is an open caatinga (deciduous dryland vegetation), the regional climate is semi-arid, the average annual temperature is 24.1ºC, and the annual regional rainfall rate is 454 mm. Ten nests of C. tarsata were collected in trap-nests during the first semester of 2004. Pollen analysis from the nests required the development of a new methodology that combined techniques of palynological sediment analysis with the more common pollinic analysis by acetolysis. Microscopic analyses employed optical microscopy techniques. The pollinic spectrum of the samples from C. tarsata indicated the presence of 17 pollen types from seven plant families, which were present in assemblage of five to eleven pollen types, pointed to the plants used by bees to feed on their offspring. The most represented plant families were Leguminosae (49.3 percent) and Solanaceae (43.2 percent). The most frequent pollen types in the samples were from Solanum paniculatum (43.8 percent) and Senna rizzini (32.1 percent). The protocol developed provides a new tool for diet assessment of Centris and other groups of solitary bees.
Subject(s)
Animals , Bees , Nesting Behavior , Pollen/classificationABSTRACT
Foram analisados 95 ninhos de Centris (Heterocentris) terminata Smith, fundados em ninhos-armadilha, entre novembro de 2001 e janeiro de 2003, em dois fragmentos urbanos (CFO-UFBA e PZGV) de Mata Atlântica secundária, em Salvador, BA (13º01Æ W e 38º30Æ S). O maior número de nidificações ocorreu de dezembro a fevereiro (verão), não havendo ninhos fundados nos meses de agosto, setembro e outubro (inverno-primavera). Emergiram 280 adultos de C. terminata (n = 347 células), sendo 164 machos e 116 fêmeas, resultando em razão sexual de 1: 0,42. Durante esse período, a emergência de machos foi significativamente superior a de fêmeas (c2 = 9,342; gl =10; P < 0,05). Os ninhos foram fundados em ninhos-armadilha de madeira com 6, 8, 10 mm de diâmetro, sendo que 84,2 por cento deles foram construídos com 8 e 10 mm. Cada ninhos possui de uma a sete células, dispostas em série em série linear e partições construídas com uma mistura de areia e resina ou óleo. O macho é significativamente menor que a fêmea, sendo que esta última emerge a partir das primeiras células construídas. A mortalidade de imaturos foi baixa, ocorrendo em 14,1 por cento das células (n= 49), sendo 13,0 por cento por falhas no desenvolvimento e 1,2 por cento por parasitas Coelioxys sp. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) e Tetraonyx sp. (Coleoptera: Meloidae). Na área estudada, fatores meteorológicos, especialmente a pluviosidade, mostraram-se mais determinantes da abundância temporal do que inimigos naturais. O longo período de atividade anual, abundância local e adequação aos ninhos-armadilha sugerem bom potencial de C. terminata para manejo visando a polinização de plantas nativas e cultivadas.
Ninety-five nests of Centris (Heterocentris) terminata Smith were collected in trap-nests, during November/2001 and January/2003, at two fragments (PZGV e CFO-UFBA) of secondary Atlantic Forest, in Salvador, Bahia State (13º01Æ W e 38º30Æ S). The highest nest frequencies occurred from December to February (summer), with no nests foundations from August to October (winter - early spring). Two-hundred eight adults emerged from 347 brood cells, being 164 males and 116 females (1: 0.42). During the study period sex ratio was male biased (c2 = 9.342; gl = 10; P < 0.05). C. terminata nested in holes with diameters 6, 8, 10 mm, but 84,2 percent were constructed in 8 and 10 mm. nests had one to seven cells arranged in a linear series with the cellÆs partitions built with a mixture of sand and resin or oil. Male is significantly smaller than female, which emerges from the first cells constructed. Immature mortality occurred in 14.1 percent of brood cells (n = 49), of which 13.0 percent were due fail in development and 1.2 percent due to parasitism of Coelioxys sp. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) e Tetraonyx sp. (Coleoptera: Meloidae). In the study site, weather, mainly pluviosity, rather than natural enemies influenced seasonal population abundance. The long period of nesting activity, local abundance and usage of trap nests, suggest the potential of C. terminata for management aiming at pollination of native and cultivated plants.