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Nesting biology of M egachile ( C hrysosarus ) guaranitica and high mortality caused by its cleptoparasite C oelioxys bertonii ( H ymenoptera: M egachilidae) in B razil
Author(s) -
Correia da Rocha Filho Léo,
Garófalo Carlos Alberto
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
austral entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.502
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 2052-1758
pISSN - 2052-174X
DOI - 10.1111/aen.12148
Subject(s) - eulophidae , biology , parasitoid , hymenoptera , diapause , pollen , brood , zoology , megachilidae , botany , ecology , pollinator , pollination , larva
Twenty‐six nests of M egachile guaranitica S chrottky were obtained during a study of trap‐nesting bees and wasps in a forest remnant surrounded by crop areas in the central‐western region of S ão P aulo S tate, B razil. Fieldwork was performed monthly from J une 2011 to M ay 2013. Females of M . guaranitica nested during the hotter/wetter season, from D ecember to M arch. Brood cells consisted of three layers: an outer one made with oblong pieces of leaves, a thick middle wall of mud and an inner layer of oblong pieces of leaves. Pollen analysis of the contents of 10 nests revealed the dominance (97.6%) of pollen from the subfamily M imosoidae ( F abaceae). The immature stages underwent prepupal diapause and took approximately 277 days to emerge. Seventeen of the 26 nests (65%) were attacked by the cleptoparasite C oelioxys bertonii Schrottky, and more individuals of this species (69%) emerged than females and males of the host species (31%). C oelioxys bertonii also underwent prepupal diapause, with development lasting approximately 240 days. The parasitoid wasp M elittobia australica Girault ( E ulophidae) is recorded as a parasitoid of M . guaranitica .