Nesting Substrate Characteristics of Partamona seridoensis Pedro & Camargo (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Areas of Dry Forest in Brazil

Authors

  • Carlo Rivero Moura Fernandes União de Ensino Superior de Campina Grande (UNESC)
  • Alerson Brito Almeida Universidade Estadual da Paraíba
  • Marco Antonio Del Lama Universidade Federal de São Carlos
  • Celso F Martins Universidade Federal da Paraiba http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5953-3758

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v64i1.1143

Keywords:

Stingless bees, Meliponini, Constrictotermes cyphergaster, termitophiles, caatinga, Isoptera

Abstract

For the first time the association between Partamona seridoensis and Constrictotermes cyphergaster is described. Partamona seridoensis occurs in xeric areas of Northeastern Brazil, and it is a termitophile species as its nests are built in active and inactive arboreal termite nests of the species C. cyphergaster. This study aimed to verify the characteristics of the nesting substrate used by P. seridoensis in two areas of dry forest (caatinga) in Cariri region, Paraíba state. It has been found that the vertical distribution of termites that contained colonies of P. seridoensis varied from 10 cm to 3.60 m, while the height of the nest entrance varied from 20 cm to 3.70 m. Commiphora leptophloeos, popularly known as imburana, was the support tree of 22 (43.1%) from 51 observed termite nests that harbored bee colonies. Most (44; 86.2%) of the host termites colonies were active. Most of the colonies showed the nest entrances not directed to the east/southeast. All colonies located were housed in large termite nests, whose volumes exceed 30 liters. In the two areas surveyed, frequently the entrances of the nests were directed to other nearby colonies, suggesting a parental relationship that should be further investigated.

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Author Biographies

Marco Antonio Del Lama, Universidade Federal de São Carlos

Departamento de Genética e Evolução

Celso F Martins, Universidade Federal da Paraiba

Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia

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Published

2017-05-30

How to Cite

Fernandes, C. R. M., Almeida, A. B., Del Lama, M. A., & Martins, C. F. (2017). Nesting Substrate Characteristics of Partamona seridoensis Pedro & Camargo (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Areas of Dry Forest in Brazil. Sociobiology, 64(1), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v64i1.1143

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Section

Research Article - Bees

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