Orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of Ilha de Maracá, Roraima, northern Brazil

Abstract

Male orchid bees attracted to cineole and vanillin during six days were collected in two sites at different distances from the forest edge in the Ilha de Maracá, Roraima state, northern Brazil. Ninety individuals belonging to eleven species were collected. Considering both sites together, Eufriesea superba (Hoffmannsegg) was the most common species (twice as abundant at the edge) followed by Euglossa chalybeata Friese (three times as abundant in the interior). Eulaema cingulata (Fabricius), the fourth-commonest species, was collected only at the border. Cineole was the most attractive bait in the interior of the forest, whereas vanillin attracted the largest number of specimens at the edge of the forest. While cineole was equally attractive both in the interior and at the edge of the forest, vanillin attracted three times as much bees at the edge of the forest than in its interior. When compared to other studies carried out in similar periods, this study suggests that abundance and richness of orchid bees at this site may be high. © 2005 Instituto de Ciências Biológicas - UFMG.