Are orchid bees at risk? First comparative survey suggests declining populations of forest-dependent species

The two largest Atlantic Forest remnants in the state of Espírito Santo, eastern Brazil, namely ‘Reserva Biológica de Sooretama’ (REBIO Sooretama) and ‘Reserva Natural Vale’ (RNV), were surveyed for their orchid-bee faunas. Seventeen scent baits were used to attract orchid-bee males. Three-thousand, two hundred and twenty-five males belonging to 24 species were actively collected with insect nets during 100 hours in March, April and December, 2009. In comparison with a previous study in the same area twelve years before, it is evident that the abundance of all forest-dependent orchid bees analysed declined around 50%, and it was statistically significant (P = 0.022) for Euglossa marianae Nemésio, 2011, the most sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances of all Atlantic Forest orchid bees. On the other hand, the abundance of populations of species tolerant to open or disturbed areas rose. Possible explanations are discussed.

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The orchid-bee faunas (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of 'Parque Nacional do Monte Pascoal', 'Parque Nacional do Descobrimento' and three other Atlantic Forest remnants in southern Bahia, eastern Brazil

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842013000200028 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 437-446 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A Nemésio

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Amazon Basin ◽

First Record ◽

The State ◽

Orchid Bees ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

Eastern Brazil ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Southern Bahia

The orchid-bee faunas of ‘Parque Nacional do Monte Pascoal’, ‘Parque Nacional do Descobrimento’ and three other Atlantic Forest remnants ranging from 1 to 300 ha in southern Bahia, eastern Brazil, were surveyed. Baits with seventeen different scents were used to attract orchid-bee males. Four thousand seven hundred and sixty-four males belonging to 36 species were actively collected with insect nets during 300 hours from November, 2008 to November, 2009. Richness and diversity of orchid bees found in this study are the highest ever recorded in the Atlantic Forest domain. Eufriesea dentilabris (Mocsáry, 1897) and Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard, 1840) were collected at the ‘Parque Nacional do Monte Pascoal’, the first record of these species for the state of Bahia and the northernmost record for both species. Females Exaerete dentata (Linnaeus, 1758) were also collected at ‘Parque Nacional do Monte Pascoal’ and old records of Eufriesea aeneiventris (Mocsáry, 1896) in this area makes this site the richest and most diverse concerning its orchid-bee fauna in the entire Atlantic Forest and similar to areas in the Amazon Basin.

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The orchid-bee fauna (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of ‘Reserva Biológica de Una’, a hotspot in the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, eastern Brazil

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842013000200014 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 347-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

A Nemésio

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Rare Species ◽

The State ◽

Orchid Bees ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

Eastern Brazil ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Southern Bahia ◽

First Time

The orchid-bee fauna of ‘Reserva Biológica de Una’ (REBIO Una), one of the largest Atlantic Forest remnants in southern Bahia, eastern Brazil, was surveyed for the first time. Baits with sixteen different scents were used to attract males of orchid bees. Eight hundred and fifty-nine males belonging to 26 species were actively collected with insect nets during 60 hours in January and February, 2009, and January, 2010. Euglossa avicula Dressler, 1982 and Euglossa milenae Bembé, 2007 have been recorded for the first time in the state of Bahia. It was found that REBIO Una has one of the most diverse and rich orchid-bee faunas of the entire Atlantic Forest domain and holds some rare species, such as Euglossa cyanochloraMoure, 1996.

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Is the “Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco” a biodiversity hotspot for orchid bees?

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/1519-6984.26412 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 74 (3 suppl 1) ◽

pp. S078-S092 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A Nemésio ◽

JE Santos Junior

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Orchid Bees ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

First Time ◽

Forest Preserve

The orchid-bee faunas (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossina) of the three largest forest remnants in the “Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco”, northeastern Brazil, namely Estação Ecológica de Murici (ESEC Murici), RPPN Frei Caneca, and a forest preserve belonging to Usina Serra Grande, in the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco, were surveyed using seventeen different scents as baits to attract orchid-bee males. Eight sites were established in the three preserves, where samplings were carried out using two protocols: insect netting and bait trapping. We collected 3,479 orchid-bee males belonging to 29 species during 160 hours in early October, 2012. Seven species were collected in the “Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco” for the first time. Richness proved to be one of the highest of the entire Atlantic Forest domain, and diversity in some sites, especially at ESEC Murici, revealed to be one of the highest in the Neotropics. Eulaema felipei Nemésio, 2010, a species previously recorded only at ESEC Murici, was found in no other preserve in the region and its conservation status is discussed.

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The orchid-bee fauna (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of ‘RPPN Feliciano Miguel Abdala’ revisited: relevant changes in community composition

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842013000300008 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 515-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A. Nemésio ◽

IRC. Paula

Keyword(s):

Community Composition ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Dominant Species ◽

Chemical Compounds ◽

Minas Gerais ◽

The Other ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Orchid Bees ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

Eulaema Nigrita

The orchid-bee fauna of ‘Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Feliciano Miguel Abdala’, a 957-ha preserve of Atlantic Forest in eastern Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, was surveyed 12 years after the first inventory in the area. Orchid-bee males were actively collected with insect nets when attracted to seventeen chemical compounds used as scent baits. Three hundred and nineteen males belonging to nine species were collected during 40 hours in late December, 2011, when orchid bees are supposedly more active. Euglossa despecta Moure, 1968, one of the dominant species in the area 12 years ago, was not recorded in the present study. Eulaema nigrita Lepeletier, 1841, on the other hand, represented only 16% of the collected bees in 1999 and 61% in the present study. Possible causes and consequences of these changes are discussed.

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Community of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in transitional vegetation between Cerrado and Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842013000300007 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 507-513 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

EP. Pires ◽

LN. Morgado ◽

B. Souza ◽

CF. Carvalho ◽

A. Nemésio

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Minas Gerais ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Orchid Bees ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

Eastern Brazil ◽

Bait Traps

The community of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossina) was studied at an area in the transition between the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes, from March, 2010 to February, 2011 in the Barroso region, state of Minas Gerais, eastern Brazil. Orchid-bee males were collected with bait traps containing three different scents (cineole, eugenol and vanillin) and with entomological nets for collecting bees on flowers. A total of 614 orchid-bee males were collected using aromatic traps, belonging to four genera and 15 species. Twenty-five female specimens belonging to two genera and at least three species were collected on flowers. Eulaema (Apeulaema) nigrita Lepeletier, 1841 was the most abundant species (50% of collected specimens), followed by Euglossa (Euglossa) truncata Rebêlo & Moure, 1996 (28%). Cineole was the most attractive compound (66.5% of males and 13 species), followed by eugenol (16% and 9 species) and vanillin (13.5% and 4 species). Eulaema (Apeulaema) marcii Nemésio, 2009 and Eufriesea auriceps (Friese, 1899) were attracted to all scents, whereas Euglossa species were collected only in cineole and eugenol.

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The orchid-bee faunas (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of two Atlantic Forest remnants in southern Bahia, eastern Brazil

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842013000200018 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 375-381 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

A Nemésio

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Chemical Compounds ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Forest Patch ◽

Southern State ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

Eastern Brazil ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Southern Bahia

The orchid-bee faunas of the ‘Parque Nacional do Pau Brasil’ (8,500 ha) and ‘RPPN Estação Veracel’ (6,000 ha), two Atlantic Forest remnants in the southern state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil, were surveyed. Seventeen chemical compounds were used as scent baits to attract orchid-bee males. Seven hundred and twelve males belonging to 20 species were actively collected with insect nets during 80 hours in February and April, 2009. Euglossa marianae Nemésio, 2011, the most sensitive orchid-bee species of the Atlantic Forest, was recorded at both preserves, though in low abundance. ‘RPPN Estação Veracel’ is the smallest forest patch where Euglossa marianae has ever been recorded.

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Continuous Micro-Environments Associated Orchid Bees Benefit from an Atlantic Forest Remnant, Paraná State, Brazil

Sociobiology ◽

10.13102/sociobiology.v66i2.3443 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 293 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ana Isabel Sobreiro ◽

Lucas Lopes da Silveira Peres ◽

Samuel Boff ◽

Jessica Amaral Henrique ◽

Valter Vieira Alves Junior

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Forest Regeneration ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Secondary Forest ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Orchid Bees ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

Forest Remnant ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Bee Communities

The fragmentation and habitat loss are the main causes of pollinators decline worldwide, however very little is known about the composition and distribution of neotropical pollinators along continuous micro-environments. To fill this gap, we carried out samplings of Euglossini bees in a continuous area of forest with micro-environments of primary (remnant) and secondary (regeneration) forest of Atlantic Forest. We evaluated the differences in the composition and uniformity of orchid bees in different micro-environments, in order to characterize the responses of the local environmental changes in the attraction of bees to chemical traps. Our results indicated that the composition and uniformity were similar between the two forest fragments studied here, although there are greater abundance of some species by micro-environments. We conclude that the characteristics of the sites in a continuous environment with primary and secondary forest do not seem to have an effect on the composition of the Euglossini fauna, and that the chemical substances are complementary in the attractiveness of the orchid bee males. Thus, our findings suggest that micro-environments in a continuous matrix near forest remnants can help to promote the reintegration of the orchid bee communities and contribute to the conservation of areas in process of forest regeneration.

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Nests of Eufriesea aff. auriceps (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossini) in remnants of Atlantic Forest and reforested areas

Sociobiology ◽

10.13102/sociobiology.v68i3.5865 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 68 (3) ◽

Author(s):

André Luis Gobatto ◽

Amanda Guimarães Franciscon ◽

Natalia Uemura ◽

Susanna Mendes Miranda ◽

Giovanna Gabriely Cesar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Internal Diameter ◽

Nest Architecture ◽

Southern Brazil ◽

Total Size ◽

Internal Contour ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

Trap Nests ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Trap Nest

In recent decades, the use of the trap-nest technique has helped to increase knowledge on the nest architecture of many orchid bee species. This study describes the nest architecture of Eufriesea aff. auriceps constructed in trap-nests made of dried bamboo internodes (canes). The nests were placed in remnants of Atlantic forest and in reforested areas next to forest remnants and monitored monthly from August 2015 to August 2016 and from August 2018 to August 2019 in southern Brazil. The bamboo internodes occupied by bees varied in internal diameter from 1.0cm to 2.0 cm (`X = 1.7; SD = 0.3; N = 12) and in length from 11.0 cm to 28.0 cm (`X = 19.5; SD = 4.8; N = 12). The total size of the nests inside the bamboo internodes ranged from 9.0 cm to 19.9 cm (`X = 14.3; SD= 3.9; N = 12). The number of brood cells constructed per nest varied from 1 to 10 (`X = 4.0; SD = 2.3; N = 15). The cells were built with small pieces of bark cemented with resin, linearly arranged along the bamboo tube. Internally, the cell wall was lined with resin. The cells measured 1.5-3.0 cm (`X = 2.3 ± 0.5; N = 48) in length and 1.4-1.7 (`X = 1.5 ± 0.1; N = 17) cm in width. The internal contour of the cells was elliptical. Females of Eufriesea aff. auriceps occupied trap-nests in both the forest remnants and in areas undergoing restoration.

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Orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2041.1.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2041 (1) ◽

pp. 1-242 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

ANDRÉ NEMÉSIO

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Natural History ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

Valid Species ◽

Type Specimens ◽

Orchid Bees ◽

Domain Identification ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

The Status

A detailed synopsis of all the orchid-bee species known to occur in the Atlantic Forest Domain, eastern Brazil, is provided, including synonymy, complete type data, diagnoses, relevant data on biology and geographic distribution (with detailed localities of known occurrence of each species), colorful illustrations of onomatophores (“name-bearing type specimens”), and a list with the main references dealing with each species. Fifty-four species are recognized to occur in the Atlantic Forest Domain. Identification keys are presented for each genus and their species occurring in the Atlantic Forest. Euglossa carinilabris Dressler, 1982, Euglossa cyanaspis Moure, 1968, Eulaema (Eulaema) niveofasciata (Friese, 1899) and Exaerete lepeletieri Oliveira & Nemésio, 2003, considered junior synonyms of other species by different authors, are reinstated as valid species. A full discussion on the status of the four orchid-bee species described by Linnaeus is presented, as well as colorful illustrations of the four onomatophores. The two existing onomatophores of orchid bee species described by Fabricius are also illustrated and his Apis cingulata has been shown to be the species recently described as Eulaema (Apeulaema) pseudocingulata Oliveira, 2006, which, thus, becomes a junior synonym (syn. n.). Euglossa aratingae sp. n., Euglossa carolina sp. n., Euglossa nanomelanotricha sp. n., Euglossa roderici sp. n., Euglossa roubiki sp. n., Eulaema (Eulaema) atleticana sp. n., and Eulaema (Apeulaema) marcii sp. n. are described as new species. Neotypes are designated for Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard, 1840) and Exaerete frontalis (Guérin-Méneville, 1844). Some corrections concerning the repository institutions of some onomatophores of orchid bees were also made: Eufriesea auriceps (Friese, 1899) holotype has been listed as belonging to the US National Museum (Washington) or to the American Museum of Natural History (New York) but, in fact, it belongs to the Zoologisches Museum der Humboldt Universität (Berlin); the lectotype of Eufriesea aeneiventris (Mocsáry, 1896) has been listed as belonging to the Istituto e Museo di Zoologia, Universita di Torino (Turin), but it actually belongs to the Hungarian Museum of Natural History (Budapest). Publication dates of both Exaerete frontalis Guérin-Méneville and Exaerete smaragdina Guérin-Méneville have been listed as 1845 but, in fact, the actual date is 1844. Based on the known geographic distribution and abundance of each species in orchid-bee inventories, IUCN criteria were applied and three species are recommended to be included in future lists of threatened species in one of the IUCN categories of risk: Eufriesea brasilianorum (Friese, 1899) and Euglossa cognata Moure, 1970 are suggested to be listed as “vulnerable”, and Euglossa cyanocholora Moure, 1996 is suggested to be listed as “endangered”. A fully annotated check list of all known orchid bee species is also presented as an Appendix.

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