Trigona branneri (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as a Collector of Honeydew from Aethalion reticulatum (Hemiptera: Aethalionidae) on Bauhinia forficata (Fabaceae: Caesalpinoideae) in a Brazilian Savanna

Authors

  • Gudryan Baronio
  • Ana Carolina Vieira Pires Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
  • Camila Aoki Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v59i2.603

Keywords:

Ant-aphid interaction, Camponotus, trophobiosis, stingless bees, hemipterans

Abstract

The presence of aggregates of A. reticulatum on Bauhinia has been reported, but the insects were mainly attended by ants of the genus Camponotus, and stingless bees were not regularly recorded in aggregations. We observed a colony of thetreehopper A. reticulatum and stingless bees, Trigona branneri, interacting on Bauhinia forficata (Fabaceae). Agonistic behavior was observed in bees when another individual of the same species or ants approached. Although this is not proof that the interaction between stingless bees and treehoppers is mutualistic, the interactions between ants and this insect are common and mutualistic. Thus, if T. branneri effectively provides protection for the aphids, a new mutualism can be the focus of future research to determine if the bee-aphid interactions have same ecological functions as the ant-aphid interactions.

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Published

2012-06-26

How to Cite

Baronio, G., Pires, A. C. V., & Aoki, C. (2012). Trigona branneri (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as a Collector of Honeydew from Aethalion reticulatum (Hemiptera: Aethalionidae) on Bauhinia forficata (Fabaceae: Caesalpinoideae) in a Brazilian Savanna. Sociobiology, 59(2), 407–414. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v59i2.603

Issue

Vol. 59 No. 2 (2012)

Section

Articles

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