Contribution to the knowledge of the bumblebee fauna of Afghanistan (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus Latreille)

Bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: genus Bombus Latreille, 1802) constitute an important group of pollinators for many wild plants and crops in north temperate regions and South America. Although knowledge of these insects has been increasing over the last decades, some geographic areas remain poorly studied and additions to the knowledge of their faunas are infrequent. Afghanistan is one example of a country that is currently underrepresented in the scientific literature despite its high species diversity. For this study, more than 420 new occurrence records were gathered for 17 bumblebee species belonging to all eight subgenera recorded in the country, including the first record of a species closely related to the B longipennis group. Additionally, the first standardized database for Afghan bees is launched, which we hope will be enriched in the future to allow further assessments of population trends for the bumblebees of Afghanistan. Finally, the previously published species records for the country are discussed considering the most recent taxonomic revisions of the genus and key perspectives are highlighted for further work in this understudied country and neighboring regions.

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First record of flower visitation by a rodent in Neotropical Proteaceae, Oreocallis grandiflora

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467417000025 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 174-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Santiago Cárdenas ◽

Carlos Nivelo-Villavicencio ◽

Juan D. Cárdenas ◽

Omar Landázuri P. ◽

Boris A. Tinoco

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Southern Hemisphere ◽

First Record ◽

Neotropical Region ◽

Biodiversity Hotspots ◽

Southern Andes ◽

Flower Visitation ◽

High Species Diversity ◽

Floral Visitation

Abstract:There is still much to learn about pollination ecology in areas of high species diversity, such as the Neotropical region. For example, the role of non-flying mammals in pollination is largely unknown in the Neotropical areas, despite the importance of this group in the pollination of plants in other regions. Here we report evidence for flower visitation by a rodent to Oreocallis grandiflora (Proteaceae) in our study site in the southern Andes of Ecuador. For a period of 241 h, camcorders equipped with infrared lights revealed 22 occurrences of floral visitation by Microryzomys altissimus (Cricetidae) to inflorescences of O. grandiflora. Pollen samples taken from the fur of captured individuals showed that M. altissimus carries pollen of O. grandiflora, indicating a potential pollinator role for the rodent. This is the first record of flower visitation by a rodent in the Neotropical Andes. Pollination interactions between non-flying mammals and Proteaceae have been reported in other southern hemisphere continents. This study underscores the need for more research on pollination interactions in the Neotropics, especially in critical Andean biodiversity hotspots.

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First record of Tigrisoma fasciatum (Such, 1825) (Aves: Ardeidae) in the State of Amapá, Brazil and updated species distribution in Central and South America

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/s1676-06032013000400034 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 385-390

Author(s):

Lia Nahomi Kajiki ◽

Cintia Massumi Togura ◽

Fernanda Michalski

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Species Distribution ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

Large Range ◽

Brazilian Amazon ◽

First Record ◽

National Forest ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Online Databases ◽

Distribution And Ecology

The Fasciated Tiger-heron (Tigrisoma fasciatum) is considered endangered in Brazil and Argentina. Although this species has a large range in Central and South America, its records are scattered and scarce. We used a combination of searches in the scientific literature and new field records to provide an updated distributional range of this species. Searches for records and photos of T. fasciatum were conducted using online databases. We also conducted field surveys along the margins of the Araguari and Falsino rivers, in the National Forest of Amapá, a sustainable protected area in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. Our literature review provided a total of 25 new distributional records of T. fasciatum. During our river based surveys we recorded one individual of T. fasciatum, which represents an extension of 499 km from the nearest previously documented occurrence. We present these findings in an up to date distributional map of T. fasciatum and highlight the need of further studies in order to better understand the species distribution and ecology.

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Species Diversity and Potential Use of Asteraceae in Tawangmangu, Karanganyar Regency, Central Java

Journal of Tropical Biodiversity and Biotechnology ◽

10.22146/jtbb.36652 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 18

Author(s):

Mutiara Fauziana ◽

Ratna Susandarini

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Medicinal Plants ◽

Sampling Method ◽

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Ornamental Plants ◽

Wild Plants ◽

Irrigation Canal ◽

Central Java ◽

High Species Diversity ◽

Potential Use

Asteraceae is a group of plants with high species diversity, with about 25.000 species become members of this family worldwide. This family has many potential uses such as medicinal plants, ornamental plants and weeds. Tawangmangu is an area with unspoiled environmental conditions, where Asteraceae plants are found either wildly or deliberately cultivated in this area. This study aims to determine species diversity of Asteraceae and their potential use. This study was conducted in 5 villages namely Plumbon, Nglebak, Karanglo, Tawangmangu and Kalisoro. The samples were collected with random sampling method, while information on potential use of Asteraceae was gathered from literature studies and interviews with local people. Results of this study are expected to be basic data of species diversity as well as to provide reference of their potential use. A total of 32 species were found on various habitat, include roadside, home yard, riparian of river, in irrigation canal, and on agricultural landscape. The specimens found were all have potential as medicinal plants, with some wild plants were commonly known as weeds, many others were having potential as ornamental plants.

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Species Diversity and Ecological Characteristics of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in the Intertidal Zone of Satun Province, Thailand and the First Record of Petersenaspis sp.

International Journal of Advances in Agricultural & Environmental Engineering ◽

10.15242/ijaaee.c0415023 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽

Intertidal Zone ◽

First Record ◽

Ecological Characteristics

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New details of the male terminalia of Diathoneura longipennis (Malloch, 1926) (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Revista Ecuatoriana de Medicina y Ciencias Biológicas ◽

10.26807/remcb.v40i1.653 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 45-50

Author(s):

Carlos R. Vilela ◽

Gerhard Bächli

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

South America ◽

Late Stage ◽

First Record ◽

Type Locality

The male terminalia of a non-type Diathoneura longipennis (Malloch 1926) specimen,collected in Peru, were dissected and analyzed. The aedeagus and associated sclerites were found tohave been fixed at a late stage of protrusion, resulting in a different morphology, when compared to thetwo previous publications, which were fixed at earlier stages. Consequently, additional details of certainanatomical parts were observed and a better understanding of the aedeagus protruding process was attained.Diathoneura longipennis has been previously identified in San Mateo, Alajuela, Costa Rica (type locality)and Panama, and this specimen represents the first record of this species in South America.

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