Eufriesea purpurata

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Eufriesea purpurata
Eufriesea purpurata lat.jpg
Unpinned Eufriesea purpurata dorsal.png
Lateral and dorsal views of E. purpurata
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Eufriesea
Species:
E. purpurata
Binomial name
Eufriesea purpurata
Mocsáry, 1896
Synonyms
  • Euglossa purpurata(Mocsáry, 1896)
  • Euplusia purpurata(Mocsáry, 1896)

Eufriesea purpurata is a species of eusocial orchid bee common in northeastern South America, particularly in the Amazon basin. [1] [2] It is an important pollinator of various wild plants, and it is noted for its attraction to various synthetic compounds used by humans, including some insecticides. In the late 1970s, males of the species pestered an indigenous Amazonian community whose palm-leaf houses had been sprayed by the government with DDT, which the bees found attractive.

Contents

Morphology

Eufriesea purpurata has a bright green metallic-colored head with red-orange highlights, a short tongue (5–6 mm), an adult body length of 14–17 mm, and an average body weight of 50 mg. [3] [4] Its thorax is most often purple, but can also be reddish, yellow, or green. [1]

Natural ecology

Like other euglossine bees, E. purpurata males collect volatile floral scents, possibly for courtship purposes. [5] Adolf Ducke described Eufriesea purpurata collecting Melastomataceae bark and resin as nest-building materials. [6] Eufriesea purpurata is considered a pest to Anthurium cultivation because of its indiscriminate cross-pollination of flowers. [1] It is the sole pollinator of the Stanhopea insignis species of orchid, which attracts the bees with its fragrance. [7] It is also a pollinator of the orchids Cycnoches aureum , Dressleria helleri , and Gongora spp., as well as the monocots Spathiphyllum cannaefolium and Coryanthes spp. [8] [9] It has been observed rarely visiting the flowers of the Brazil nut tree. [10]

Attraction to insecticides

The bee is attracted to and unharmed by the insecticide DDT. In 1979 and 1980, males of the species were observed deliberately collecting large quantities of the insecticide from remote, rural houses along Brazil's Ituxi River. The houses, which were constructed from palm leaves, had been treated with DDT in the summer of 1979 by the government to prevent the spread of malaria. [4] Attracted by the smell of the insecticide, the bees were observed finding and returning often to the DDT-sprayed houses, entering the homes to scrape dried insecticide from the walls into their hind tibial pouches. Individual bees of the species were observed collecting as much as 2 mg of DDT each (4% of their average body weight) [11] with no apparent adverse effects, displaying a tolerance tens or hundreds of times greater than most insects. The bees do not ingest or otherwise metabolize the collected DDT. [12] [13] Interviews with locals revealed that there had been no house-visiting bees until the malaria control spray program had begun. Of families interviewed, 95% reported some disturbance from the bees' noise, and 71% of interviewees had bees in their homes during their interviews. [12]

Eufriesea purpurata has also been observed collecting the insecticide aldrin. One scientific account from Peru describes hundreds of male bees drawn to aldrin-treated wood walls, which were "actually scarred by [the bees'] repeated scratching". [14] [15] E. purpurata has also been found to be attracted to benzyl alcohol, a major component of Stanhopea insignis' fragrance, and anisyl acetate. [7] [16] [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Stanhopea</i> Genus of orchids

Stanhopea is a genus of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) from Central and South America. The abbreviation used in horticultural trade is Stan. The genus is named for the 4th Earl of Stanhope (1781-1855), president of the Medico-Botanical Society of London (1829-1837). It comprises 55 species and 5 natural hybrids. These epiphytic, but occasionally terrestrial orchids can be found in damp forests from Mexico to Trinidad to NW Argentina. Their ovate pseudobulbs carry from the top one long, plicate, elliptic leaf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euglossini</span> Tribe of bees

The tribe Euglossini, in the subfamily Apinae, commonly known as orchid bees or euglossine bees, are the only group of corbiculate bees whose non-parasitic members do not all possess eusocial behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanhopeinae</span> Subtribe of orchids

Stanhopeinae is a subtribe of plants in the tribe Cymbidieae.

<i>Eufriesea</i> Genus of bees

Eufriesea is a genus of euglossine bees. Like all orchid bees, they are restricted to the Neotropics.

<i>Euglossa</i> Genus of bees

Euglossa is a genus of orchid bees (Euglossini). Like all their close relatives, they are native to the Neotropics; an introduced population exists in Florida. They are typically bright metallic blue, green, coppery, or golden.

<i>Eulaema</i> Genus of bees

Eulaema is a genus of large-bodied euglossine bees that occur primarily in the Neotropics. They are robust brown or black bees, hairy or velvety, and often striped with yellow or orange, typically resembling bumblebees. They lack metallic coloration as occurs in the related genus Eufriesea.

<i>Exaerete</i> Genus of bees

Exaerete is a genus of euglossine bees found from Mexico to northern Argentina. Like all orchid bees, they are restricted to the Neotropics. All but one species is metallic green, and they are cleptoparasites in the nests of other euglossines in the genera Eufriesea and Eulaema. It contains the following species:

<i>Aglae</i> Genus of bees

Aglae is a genus of euglossine bees, with the only described species Aglae caerulea. Like all orchid bees, it is restricted to the Neotropics. They are metallic blue. This species, like the genus Exaerete, is a nest parasite on free-living Euglossini. A. caerulea lays its eggs in the nests of Eulaema nigrita, and possibly other Eulaema species.

<i>Stanhopea insignis</i> Species of orchid

Stanhopea insignis is a species of orchid endemic to southern and southeastern Brazil. It is the type species of the genus Stanhopea. The orchid bee Eufriesea purpurata is the sole pollinator of Stanhopea insignis, which attracts the bees with its fragrance.

<i>Euglossa hyacinthina</i> Species of bee

Euglossa hyacinthina, is a species of the orchid bee tribe Euglossini in the family Apidae. With a tongue that can get up to as long as 4 cm, this orchid bee species is found in Central America. Living in a neotropical climate, E.hyacinthina has adapted to hot and humid weather. The bee has darkly shaded, translucent wings and a metallic, glossy blue skeleton.

<i>Euglossa dilemma</i> Species of bee

Euglossa dilemma, the green orchid bee or dilemma orchid bee, is a species of solitary euglossine bee native to a broad area of Central America, and recently introduced to Florida in the United States. It was first detected in Broward County, Florida in 2003, and initially identified as Euglossa viridissima, but further study revealed that E. viridissima as previously defined consisted of two cryptic species, and the one present in Florida was new to science.

<i>Eulaema meriana</i> Species of bee

Eulaema meriana is a large-bodied bee species in the tribe Euglossini, otherwise known as the orchid bees. The species is a solitary bee and is native to tropical Central and South America. The male collects fragrances from orchid flowers, which it stores in hollows in its hind legs. Orchids can be deceptive by mimicking the form of a female and her sex pheromone, thus luring male bees or wasps. Pollination will take place as the males attempt to mate with the labellum, or the tip petal of the flower. Male E. meriana are territorial and have a particular perch on a tree trunk where it displays to attract a female. After mating, the female builds a nest with urn-shaped cells made with mud, feces, and plant resin, and provisions these with nectar and pollen before laying an egg in each. These bees also have complex foraging and wing buzzing behaviors and are part of a mimicry complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollination trap</span> Plant flower structures

Pollination traps or trap-flowers are plant flower structures that aid the trapping of insects, mainly flies, so as to enhance their effectiveness in pollination. The structures of pollination traps can include deep tubular corollas with downward pointing hairs, slippery surfaces, adhesive liquid, attractants, flower closing and other mechanisms.

<i>Exaerete smaragdina</i> Species of bee

Exaerete smaragdina is a species of kleptoparasitic euglossine bees.

<i>Euglossa cordata</i> Species of bee

Euglossa cordata is a primitively eusocial orchid bee of the American tropics. The species is known for its green body color and ability to fly distances of over 50 km. Males mostly disperse and leave their home nests, while females have been observed to possess philopatric behavior. Because of this, sightings are rare and little is known about the species. However, it has been observed that adults who pollinate certain species of orchids will become intoxicated during the pollination.

Euglossa jacquelynae is a Euglossine bee species found in Central Brazil.

<i>Eufriesea surinamensis</i> Species of bee

Eufriesea surinamensis belongs to the tribe of euglossine bees and as such is a species of orchid bee. This should not be mistaken with the species group surinamensis, which includes Ef. surinamensis among other Eufriesea species.

<i>Euglossa imperialis</i> Species of bee

Euglossa imperialis is a bee species in the family Apidae. It is considered to be one of the most important pollinators to many Neotropical orchid species in mainland tropical America. It is also one of the most common non-parasitic euglossine species in lowland Panama. E. imperialis, unlike many other bee species, is not a social bee in the sense that there is no apparent morphological or physiological division within the species to distinguish individual bees to be part of a worker or reproductive caste.

<i>Euglossa mixta</i> Species of insect

Euglossa mixta is a species of orchid bee native to Central America and South America, it is a member of the genus Euglossa a group of brilliant green and blue bees specialized in pollinating certain species of orchids.

<i>Meloetyphlus fuscatus</i> Species of insect

Meloetyphlus fuscatus, the blind blister beetle, is a species of blister beetle in the family Meloidae found in Central and South America. They are kleptoparasites of orchid bees and are entirely blind as adults. Unique among meloids, females do not lay their eggs near flowers, but rather within their hosts' nests.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kimsey, Lynn Siri (1 January 1982). Systematics of Bees of the Genus Eufriesea (Hymenoptera, Apidae). University of California Press. p. 75. ISBN   978-0-520-09643-1.
  2. ↑ Annotationes Zoologicae Japonenses. Societas. 1965. p. 219.
  3. ↑ Kimsey, Lynn Siri (1 January 1982). Systematics of Bees of the Genus Eufriesea (Hymenoptera, Apidae). University of California Press. p. 20. ISBN   978-0-520-09643-1.
  4. 1 2 Vetter, Walter; Roberts, Donald (15 May 2007). "Revisiting the organohalogens associated with 1979-samples of Brazilian bees (Eufriesea purpurata)". Science of the Total Environment . 377 (2): 371–377. Bibcode:2007ScTEn.377..371V. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2007.02.009. PMID   17379276.
  5. ↑ Eltz, Thomas; Sager, Andreas; Lunau, Klaus (2005). "Juggling with volatiles: Exposure of perfumes by displaying male orchid bees". Journal of Comparative Physiology A . 191 (7): 575–581. doi:10.1007/s00359-005-0603-2. S2CID   15934584.
  6. ↑ Ducke, Adolf (1905). "Biologische Notizen über einige südamerikanische Hymenoptera" [Biological Notes on Some South American Hymenoptera]. Zeitschrift für wissenschaftliche Insektenbiologie (in German). 1: 175–177.
  7. 1 2 Pansarin, Emerson Ricardo; Amaral, Maria do Carmo Estanislau do (January 2009). "Reproductive biology and pollination of southeastern Brazilian Stanhopea Frost ex Hook. (Orchidaceae)". Flora – Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants . 204 (3): 238–249. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2008.01.014.
  8. ↑ Hanson, P. E.; Gauld, I. D., eds. (1995). The Hymenoptera of Costa Rica. Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-854905-9.
  9. ↑ Williams, Norris H.; Dressler, Robert L. (1976). "Euglossine pollination of Spathiphyllum (Araceae)". Selbyana . 1 (4): 349–356. JSTOR   41759603.
  10. ↑ Cavalcante, M. C.; Oliveira, F. F.; Maués, M. M.; Freitas, B. M. (28 May 2012). "Pollination Requirements and the Foraging Behavior of Potential Pollinators of Cultivated Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.) Trees in Central Amazon Rainforest". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology . 2012: e978019. doi: 10.1155/2012/978019 .
  11. ↑ May, Paul; Cotton, Simon (23 October 2014). Molecules That Amaze Us. CRC Press. p. 141. ISBN   978-1-4665-8961-2.
  12. 1 2 Roberts, Donald R.; Alecrim, Wilson D.; Heller, Jack M.; Ehrhardt, Susan R.; Lima, Jose B. (6 May 1982). "Male Eufriesia purpurata, a DDT-collecting euglossine bee in Brazil". Nature . 297 (5861): 62–63. Bibcode:1982Natur.297...62R. doi:10.1038/297062a0. S2CID   4257709.
  13. ↑ Williams, Norris H.; Whitten, W. Mark (June 1983). "Orchid Floral Fragrances and Male Euglossine Bees: Methods and Advances in the Last Sesquidecade". The Biological Bulletin . 164 (3): 355–395. doi:10.2307/1541248. JSTOR   1541248.
  14. ↑ Dressler, Robert (1967). "Why Do Euglossine Bees Visit Orchid Flowers?". Atas do Simpósio sôbre a Biota Amazônica. 5: 171–180.
  15. ↑ Cameron, Sydney A. (January 2004). "Phylogeny and biology of Neotropical orchid bees (Euglossini)". Annual Review of Entomology . 49 (1): 377–404. doi:10.1146/annurev.ento.49.072103.115855. PMID   14651469.
  16. ↑ Pearson, David L.; Dressler, Robert L (February 1985). "Two-year study of male orchid bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini) attraction to chemical baits in lowland south-eastern Perú". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 1 (1). Cambridge University Press: 37–54. doi:10.1017/S0266467400000067. S2CID   84040115.
  17. ↑ Londoño Carvajal, C. (2022). Abejas del género Eufriesea Cockerell, 1908 (Apidae: Euglossini): Actualización sobre presencia y distribución en Colombia [Bees of the genus Eufriesea Cockerell, 1908 (Apidae: Euglossini): Update on presence and distribution in Colombia] (M.S., Entomology thesis) (in Spanish). National University of Colombia.
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