Eufriesea surinamensis

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Eufriesea surinamensis
Eufriesea surinamensis.png
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Eufriesea
Species:
E. surinamensis
Binomial name
Eufriesea surinamensis
Geographic Distribution of Eufriesea surinamensis.png
Synonyms [1]
  • Apis surinamensisLinnaeus, 1758
  • Apis tropicaLinnaeus, 1758
  • Apis abdomenoflavumDe Geer 1773
  • Centris smaragdinaPerty 1833
  • Euglossa angulataMocsary 1897
  • Eulaema bruesiCockerell 1914
  • Eulaema amabilisCockerell 1917
  • Euplusia tectoraKimsey 1977

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.

Contents

Taxonomy and phylogeny

Eufriesea surinamensis was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The genera Eufriesia and Euplusia were combined in 1979 by Kimsey. The genus Eufriesea, consisting of 52 species, was later reviewed by Kimsey in 1982.

Euglossine bees are a relatively new group of bee, sharing a common ancestor with the Bombini, one of the four tribes of corbiculate bee that have a pollen basket. The genus Eufriesia is the second largest within the Euglossini tribe. It is challenging to distinguish between the over fifty Eufriesea species, particularly since the females mimic each other. [2] Within the surinamensis group it is very difficult to distinguish between females of different species.

Description and identification

Eufriesea surinamensis are characterized by their long tongue and yellow hindtibial posterior fringe. The forehead and thorax are black with a colorful, metallic face; the labrum is also rounded. One can distinguish between the two sexes by looking at the ridges on the clypeus. Males have three, while females only have one. Also, a female's clypeus is not depressed at the tentorial pits. Males are approximately 16–19 mm in length, with a tongue of about 13–14 mm long. Ef. surinamensis can be distinguished from other euglossine species by the knob above their hindtibial spurs and by the darkened medial cell in their wings. [1]

Their tongues can be anywhere from 68% to greater than 80% of their body length. Each female cares for her own nest, though she may build nests in close proximity to other females due to limited availability of good locations. [1] [3]

Distribution and habitat

Female bees construct aggregated nests of varying sizes out of mud, bark, and resin. Nests are typically located in sheltered locations such as small crevices found in cliffsides and cracks in trees. [4] They have also adapted to humans by creating their nests below buildings, within walls and under bridges. [1] [3] [5]

Though females nest in aggregations, this is due more to lack of suitable locations than any social interactions. [3] They work independent of each other, though they nest adjacent to each other. [6] Nests are typically a linear series of cells with an outer layer made using bark and a smooth inner layer of wax. [1] [3]

These bees are commonly found in the neotropical regions throughout Mexico, Central America and South America. [1]

Seasonality

Eufriesea surinamensis is considered to be a characteristically seasonal bee. This activity of this bee species is restricted during the late spring and summer months, as was observed in the Atlantic Forest region. Specifically, the unique climate of each area largely determines the composition of the bee community, since environmental variations affect pollen and nectar source locations as well as nesting places. [7] They begin foraging early in the dry season, about four months from winter to early spring, and continue during the wet season, about seven months from spring to fall. [6] [8]

Nesting cycle

As each female cares for her own nest, there are no colonies. However, these bees do nest in aggregation of up to thirty nests in one location, with each nest holding up to eight eggs. Females have been seen nesting in more than one location. [9]

Females make two types of foraging trips: to collect pollen or nesting materials. They typically forage for pollen in the morning, to provision their nests. They will also search for building materials for a nest, including bark and resin, which they attach to their corbicula when flying back to the nest. [9] These bees have been observed to return to their nests from distances as far as 23 km. [10]

Being a seasonal bee, females only create nests during the dry season, about four months from winter to early spring, with larvae developing during the wet season, about seven months from spring to fall. Developing young grow quickly and spend most of the wet season in larval diapause, a delay in development so that the juveniles can emerge into the optimal environment to begin creating their own nests and repeating the cycle. Eggs are typically 6 mm long by 1 mm wide and during development larvae will grow from 0.5 cm up to 2.5 cm. [6] [9]

As these bees are relatively short-lived, there is no generation overlap. However, old, abandoned and empty nests will be repaired and reused by new female bees. This is advantageous as they will only need to provision pollen to nurture larval development. It also has the added benefit of decreasing the time required for nest completion and allowing females to put more resources into laying more eggs. [9]

Behavior

Dominance hierarchy

Though female bees build nests in aggregations, each is in charge of building and provisioning her own nests. There is no queen bee overseeing the work or workers to help her. [9]

Mating behavior

Male hind legs are specialized to store aromatic compounds. There can be up to seventy compounds in each tibia. Some researchers believe that these compounds are used to form male leks, while others believe that the compounds may be changed into sex hormones. Still others believe that these aromatic compounds may be a courtship gift or an anti-predator ward. In 2005, Thomas Eltz and his research group discovered that male Eufriesea will release different aromatic compounds using complex leg maneuvers, giving credence to the hypothesis that these compounds play a role in mating, though they may have multiple uses. [11]

A study found that Ef. surinamensis males have a marked preference for the compound vanillin, compared to 1.8 cineole and eugenol. [8]

Nest visits among females

Nesting female bees will often visit other bee's nests. Myers and Loveless classified five different entry types:

  1. Transient entry
  2. Longer entry – the bee stays up to half an hour
  3. Nest robbing – a visiting bee will steal provisions
  4. Nest defense – the rightful occupant will remove an invader
  5. Belligerence – the invading female will attempt to remove the owner

Most females visit a nest after completing a nest and beginning work on a new one. Nest defense and invasion can become very violent with both bees falling to the ground. Females will lock mandibles when fighting. Though no bees were observed to be injured after a fight took place, fighting may deplete them of physical resources they could use elsewhere. [11]

Traplining

Given their large ranges, it is thought that bees of the euglossine tribe trapline for more efficient foraging. Traplining occurs when an insect will visit a series of flowers in a stable, repeatable sequence. Traplining gives the bee an advantage in that they have a series of flowers they can visit to gain nectar. There is also a benefit to the flora, which can be many kilometers from each other, but can still be cross-pollinated because they are on the same traplining path. Ef. surinamensis and other orchid bees are major players in flora gene flow, and are vital to the continued health of tropical forests. [12]

Kin selection

As generations do not overlap, there is no active kin selection. However, it is quite likely that female bees will stay in the same area they were born in, reusing the same aggregation of nests they were born in to bear their offspring.

Also, as only one generation exists at a time, there are no worker bees with a vested interest in more sisters so the sex ratio is about 1:1. A study by Janzen found that in 297 bees, 59% were female. As there is little to no sociality in this species, the sex ratio is not very skewed towards females [13]

Mimicry and camouflage

Female Eufriesea have fierce stings, so predators will want to avoid them. Among the genus Eufriesea, females have evolved Müllerian mimetic complexes, making it difficult to distinguish between the species in the surinamensis group. [14] Male Ef. surinamensis are stingless, but are Batesian automimics as their yellow hindtibial fringes trick other animals into believing they are stinging females and not stingless males. [1] [15] There are also flies that mimic Eufriesea, including asilids. Mimicking Eufriesea may provide these flies protection from their predators. [15]

In the surinamensis group, Ef. surinamensis and Ef. mexicana look very similar and it can be difficult to distinguish between the two. Ef. mexicana males have an elongate apical point of the subgenital plate that Ef. surinamensis males do not have. Also, the apical dorsal segment may be blue for Ef. mexicana, particularly for females. Ef. surinamensis females are never blue. However, some Ef. mexicana females are not blue, leaving the medial cell as the only way to distinguish between the two species. If darkened, the bee is of Ef. surinamensis, otherwise it is Ef. mexicana. [1]

Nests do not need to be camouflaged as they tend to be hidden away under buildings, or in small crevices. [9]

Interactions with other species

Diet

Adult bees visit various flora for nectar and pollen. Adults drink nectar, and females collect pollen for larvae to feed on during development. Males also visit flora for aromatic compounds, but it is uncertain what these are used for. Listed below are some of the flora that Eufriesea surinamensis forage from.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, a flower that Ef. surinamensis gathers nectar from Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis.jpg
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis , a flower that Ef. surinamensis gathers nectar from

Species of flora visited for nectar: [1]

Species of flora visited for pollen:

Species of flora visited for aromatic materials:

Parasites

Exaerete dentata and Exaerete smaragdina , which both belong to the tribe Euglossini, are two kleptoparasitic bees that will lay their eggs in Ef. surinamensis nests. [17] A female Ex. dentata will open a sealed cell carefully, removing bits of bark from the cell cap. Though some bark will fall away, most of it will stay attached to the female for later use. Once she can reach inside, she will use her mandibles to crush the Ef. surinamensis egg and replace it with her own egg. Then she will reseal the cell using the original bark. [4]

Not only are nests of Ef. surinamensis parasitized by other species, but they also take advantage of empty nests to lay their eggs. Ef. surinamensis has been found in abandoned nests of Centris trigonoides and Monobia nigripennis built within the shells of termite nests. [18]

Predators

There are no known predators or parasites that attack Eufriesea adults. [6]

Diseases

It has been difficult for researchers to raise Ef. surinamensis larvae as they are soon attacked by molds once the cell wall has been opened. It is believed that resin use is an adaptation on the female's part to help her offspring grow to adulthood. [6]

Interactions with humans

Ef. surinamensis is responsible for pollinating a wide variety of orchids and other flora in neotropical regions. [1] Thanks to their long flight ranges, these bees are crucial for the continued reproduction of scattered and uncommon flora throughout tropical forests. Thus deforestation and fragmentation of their habitats not only jeopardizes these bees, but also the entire surrounding ecosystem. [19]

Though females can build nests under houses and around humans, there has been no evidence of Ef. surinamensis acting as a pest or causing health problems with its sting.

Related Research Articles

Euglossini 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.

<i>Nomada</i> Genus of bees

With over 850 species, the genus Nomada is one of the largest genera in the family Apidae, and the largest genus of kleptoparasitic "cuckoo bees." Kleptoparasitic bees are so named because they enter the nests of a host and lay eggs there, stealing resources that the host has already collected. The name "Nomada" is derived from the Greek word nomas (νομάς), meaning "roaming" or "wandering."

<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>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.

<i>Ptilothrix</i> Genus of bees

Ptilothrix is a genus within the tribe Emphorini of the family Apidae. Bees of this genus can range from 7 to 15 millimeters. Ptilothrix species are solitary ground nesting bees. The genus has especially prominent hairs in the scopae of their hind legs, to help gather pollen to provision their nests. Ptilothrix specialize on certain families of plants for their pollen, including the families Malvaceae, Convolvulaceae, Onagraceae, Cactaceae, Pontederiaceae and Asteraceae. The genus is found in the new world, with species ranging from North to South America.

<i>Xylocopa nasalis</i> Species of bee

The Oriental carpenter bee, Xylocopa nasalis, or Xylocopa (Biluna) nasalis, is a species of carpenter bee. It is widely distributed in Southeast Asian countries. It is a major pollinator within its ecosystem, and is often mistaken for a bumblebee. The species leads a solitary lifestyle with a highly female-biased colony in the nest.

<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.

<i>Xylocopa sulcatipes</i> Species of bee

Xylocopa sulcatipes is a large Arabian carpenter bee. These multivoltine bees take part in social nesting and cooperative nesting. They are metasocial carpenter bees that nest in thin dead branches. One or more cooperating females build many brood cells. They have been extensively studied in Saudi Arabia and Israel.

<i>Bombus atratus</i> Species of bee

Bombus atratus is a neotropical bumblebee that is found throughout regions of South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Argentina. It lives in social colonies that include a founder queen/queens, workers and brood. B. atratus is somewhat unusual because of its potential to oscillate between polygynous and monogynous nesting cycles. Bombus atratus was the first species in the genus Bombus that was discovered to display such polygynous nesting patterns. The polygynous nesting cycles lead to certain specific types of behavior including queen-queen aggression. Nests can also be perennial, which is a characteristic rarely found in other bumblebees. B. atratus can be helpful agriculturally because of their ability to pollinate different species of plants. B. atratus has been found to occupy a range of geographic areas and climates throughout South America. Colonies have the ability to thermoregulate nests and keep them a little bit warmer than the outside environment. Foraging workers use muscle contractions to maintain stable temperatures and coupe with seasonal and daily fluctuations in temperature.

<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>Paratrigona subnuda</i> Species of bee

Paratrigona subnuda, commonly known as the jataí-da-terra, is a species of eusocial stingless bee in the family Apidae and tribe Meliponini. These social bees are prevalent in Neotropical moist forests, including Brazilian Atlantic and other South American forests. They inhabit spherical nests in moist underground environments with their forest habitats. Within their Neotropical habitats the P. subnuda is considered to be a very successful and common species of bee. P. subnuda’s main source of food is pollen and nectar from a large variety of native Mesoamerican tropical plants. They have been extensively studied due to social conflicts arising from single mate behaviors and particular virgin behaviors. P. subnuda also exhibits the particular daily behavior in which they open the nest entrance at dawn and close the entrance at dusk when all their activities are done.

<i>Colletes validus</i> Species of bee

Colletes validus, colloquially known as the blueberry cellophane bee or blueberry polyester bee, is a solitary, specialist bee in the family Colletidae. It is found primarily in eastern North America where it nests in sandy soils near ericaceous plants.

<i>Euglossa mixta</i>

Euglossa mixta, the mixed orchid bee, 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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Kimsey, Lynn Siri (1982-01-01). Systematics of Bees of the Genus Eufriesea (Hymenoptera, Apidae). University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-09643-1.
  2. ↑ "Details – Abejas euglosinas Hymenoptera: Apidae de la Región Neotropical: Listado de especies con notas sobre su biología – Biodiversity Heritage Library". www.biodiversitylibrary.org. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Kimsey, Lynn Siri (1987-01-01). "Generic relationships within the Euglossini (Hymenoptera: Apidae)". Systematic Entomology. 12 (1): 63–72. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1987.tb00548.x. ISSN   1365-3113. S2CID   84382675.
  4. 1 2 Bennett, Fred (1972). "Observations on Exaerete spp. and their hosts Eulaema terminata and Euplusia surinamensis (Hymen., Apidae, Euglossinae) in Trinidad". Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 80 (3): 118–124. JSTOR   25008814.
  5. ↑ Dressler, Robert L. (1982-01-01). "Biology of the Orchid Bees (Euglossini)". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 13: 373–394. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.13.110182.002105. JSTOR   2097073.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Biological Observations on a Neotropical Parasocial Bee, Eulaema nigrita, with a Review on the Biology of Euglossinae (Hymenoptera, Apidae).：A Comparative Study (With 21 Text-figures, 2 Plates and 9 Tables)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  7. ↑ Aguiar, W. M., and M. C. Gaglianone. "Euglossine bees(Hymenoptera Apidae Euglossina) on an inselberg in the Atlantic Forest domain of southeastern Brazil." Tropical Zoology 24.2 (2011): 107-125.
  8. 1 2 Oliveira-Junior, José Max Barbosa de; Almeida, Sara Miranda; Rodrigues, Lucirene; Júnior, Silvério; Jacinto, Ailton; Anjos-Silva, Evandson José dos (2015). "Orchid Bees (Apidae: Euglossini) in a Forest Fragment in the Ecotone Cerrado-Amazonian Forest, Brazil". Acta Biológica Colombiana. 20 (3): 67–78. doi: 10.15446/abc.v20n3.41122 . ISSN   0120-548X.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Myers, Judith; Loveless, M. D. (1976). "Nesting aggregations of the euglossine bee Euplusia surinamensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae): individual interactions and the advantage of living together". The Canadian Entomologist. 108: 1–6. doi:10.4039/Ent1081-1 . Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  10. ↑ Janzen, D. H. (1971-01-15). "Euglossine Bees as Long-Distance Pollinators of Tropical Plants". Science. 171 (3967): 203–205. Bibcode:1971Sci...171..203J. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.468.4544 . doi:10.1126/science.171.3967.203. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   17751330. S2CID   46114784.
  11. 1 2 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. PMID   15841385. S2CID   15934584 . Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  12. ↑ Wikelski, Martin; Moxley, Jerry; Eaton-Mordas, Alexander; López-Uribe, Margarita M.; Holland, Richard; Moskowitz, David; Roubik, David W.; Kays, Roland (2010-05-26). "Large-Range Movements of Neotropical Orchid Bees Observed via Radio Telemetry". PLOS ONE. 5 (5): e10738. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...510738W. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010738 . PMC   2877081 . PMID   20520813.
  13. ↑ Michener, Charles Duncan (1974-01-01). The Social Behavior of the Bees: A Comparative Study. Harvard University Press. ISBN   978-0-674-81175-1.
  14. ↑ Hogue, Charles Leonard (1993-01-01). Latin American Insects and Entomology. University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-07849-9.
  15. 1 2 Roubik, David W. (1992-05-29). Ecology and Natural History of Tropical Bees. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-42909-2.
  16. ↑ Sanmartin-Gajardo, I.; Sazima, M. (2004). "Non-Euglossine Bees also Function as Pollinators of Sinningia Species (Gesneriaceae) in Southeastern Brazil". Plant Biology. 6 (4): 506–512. doi:10.1055/s-2004-820979. PMID   15248134 . Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  17. ↑ Parasitic behavior of Exaerete smaragdina with descriptions of its mature oocyte and larval instars (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini): 3 Tables. American Museum of Natural History. 2001-01-01.
  18. ↑ Carrijo, Tiago. "Review of bees as guests in termite nests, with a new record of the communal bee, Gaesochira obscura (Smith, 1879) (Hymenoptera, Apidae), in nests of Anoplotermes banksi Emerson, 1925 (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae)" . Retrieved 2015-09-26.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ↑ Rocha-Filho, L. C.; Krug, C.; Silva, C. I.; Garófalo, C. A. (2012). "Floral Resources Used by Euglossini Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Coastal Ecosystems of the Atlantic Forest". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 2012: 1–13. doi: 10.1155/2012/934951 .
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