Pollen residues in nests of Centris tarsata Smith (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini) in a tropical semiarid area in NE Brazil

Résidus de pollen dans les nids de Centris tarsata Smith (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini) dans une région tropicale semi-aride du nord-est du Brésil

Marcos da Costa Dórea , Cândida M.L. Aguiar , Luís E.R. Figueroa , Luciene C. Lima E. Lima , Francisco de Assis R. dos Santos

Pollen sources used by Centris tarsata bees were identified in an area of "caatinga" vegetation (Canudos Biological Station) in NE Bahia, NE Brazil, by analyzing the pollen residues encountered in the nests. The analysis of the pollen residues was performed by pulverizing the sediments used to construct the cells, followed by the application of the acetolysis method. Thirty-one pollen types were identified belonging to 13 botanical families (in associations of from 4 to 15 distinct pollen types per nest), indicating which plants were used by the bees to feed their offspring. The plant families most represented were Leguminosae and Malpighiaceae, while the pollen types most frequently found were Chamaecrista ramosa (46.5%), Senna rizzinii (19.7%), and Solanum paniculatum (19.6%). The identification of the pollen types and information about the resources offered by the plants indicated that many species were visited as nectar sources rather than as pollen or oil sources by C. tarsata.

Mots clés: entomopalynology; pollen; solitary bees; Centris; caatinga<br>---<br>entomopalynologie; abeilles solitaires; caatinga

Domaines: Zoologie des invertébrés; Biodiversité; Ecologie, Environnement; Science des productions animales

Marcos da Costa Dórea, Cândida M.L. Aguiar, Luís E.R. Figueroa, Luciene C. Lima E. Lima, Francisco de Assis R. dos Santos. Pollen residues in nests of Centris tarsata Smith (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini) in a tropical semiarid area in NE Brazil. Apidologie, 2010, 41 (5), ⟨10.1051/apido/2010005⟩. ⟨hal-00892077⟩