Abelhas Euglossina (Hymenoptera: Apidae) em Área de Restinga do Nordeste do Maranhão

Abstract

The bees of subtribe Euglossina are an important component of neotropical fauna and have greater species diversity in tropical forests than in spits. They play an important role in the pollination of several plant species and are considered good indicators of environmental conditions. From February 2005 to January 2006, a total of 429 specimens belonging to three genera [Euglossa (Latreille), Eulaema (Lepeletier) and Eufriesea (Cockerell)] and 14 species were collected. Eulaema cingulata (Fabricius) (24.5%), Euglossa cordata (L.) (20.5%) and Eufriesea nigrescens (Friese) (19.8%) were the most abundant species, representing 64.8% of all bees collected. Rainfall was the environmental variable with the greatest relative influence on species composition, particularly for some species of Eufriesea. Euglossa cordata and Eg. gaianii Dressler nested in trap nests, suggesting they are resident species. The larger number of individuals and greater richness of species compared with data available in the literature may result from the great variety of plant species found in the areas adjacent to the collection site.