Bee community & associated flora in lowland rain forest & mangrove in southern Brazil

Abstract

The present paper is a first characterization of apifauna richness in relation to flora in a protected area in southern Brazil. For that bee-plant interactions were observed in the two main habitats of the area: coastal plain and mangrove. Bees were sampled with entomological nets and pan traps. The survey resulted in 60 species of the families Apidae, Megachilidae and Halictidae. The bee species sampling sufficiency curve remained on the rise and the richness estimators showed 84 and 104 potential species. Colletidae and Andrenidae families were not found. Cleptoparasites bee species were sampled: Leiopodus lacertinus (Protepeolini), Sphecodes sp. (Halictini) and Coelioxys sp. (Megachilini). Nests of Trigona braueri, Tetragonisca angustula, Oxytrigona tataíra, Plebeia saiqui (Meliponini), Euglossa iopoecila (Euglossini) and Melitoma segmentaria (Emphorini) were found in trees. A bee species with restricted distribution, Euglossa anodorhynchi (Euglossini) and a new occurrence, Paroxystoglossa brachycera (Halictidae, Augochlorini), were found. Bee fauna was very similar (coefficient of similarity) to that of other coastal plain environments in the study area. Bees visited 49 plant species of 28 families, especially Asteraceae, Convolvulaceae and Anacardiaceae. There were interactions of bees with plant species of mangrove habitats: Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke (Acanthaceae), Laguncularia racemosa (L.) C.F.Gaertn. (Combretaceae) and Talipariti pernambucense Arruda (Bovini) (Malvaceae).