Pollen Niche from Tetrapedia diversipes Klug (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Tetrapediini) in a Brazilian Semi-deciduous Lowland Forest

Abstract

Tetrapedia diversipes Klug (Apidae) is a solitary bee with wide geographical distribution. Females of this species usually nest in pre-existing cavities and although their biology is relatively well known, studies on their trophic niche are still scarce. Thus, the present study aimed to identify the plant species used in the diet of immature T. diversipes through the analysis of residual pollen material. The nests used in the study were obtained through the use of trap nests during the period between December 2014 and October 2015, distributed in an area of coastal forest in northeastern Brazil. For the study of the trophic niche, samples of post-emergency residue (feces) from cells of offspring of males (n = 31) and females (n = 66) of T. diversipes were analyzed. In total, 29 pollen types were identified in the feeding of T. diversipes, being of the pollen types identified, only seven were not used by both sexes. Although a significant difference was found in the amplitude in the trophic niche between the sexes, there was a high overlap for Horn-Morisita index (CH = 0.989), with no significant difference being found in the frequency distribution of male and female food items (D = 0.214; p = 0.341). In this study we concluded that the diet of T. diversipes in coastal forest is polyletic, similarly to the pattern found in other studies of pollen resources in different vegetation in Brazil, with a predominance of pollen from the families Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae and Onagraceae.

Keywords

• oil collecting bee
• post-emergence residue
• Trap nests
• solitary bee
• bionomy