Hide and seek: is the solitary bee Monoeca haemorrhoidalis trying to escape from its cleptoparasite Protosiris gigas (Hymenoptera, Apidae: Tapinotaspidini; Osirini)?
2017
da Rocha-Filho, Léo Correia | Melo, Gabriel A. R.
Cleptoparasites play a key ecological role by reducing their host populations. In order to study the phenological patterns of the natural enemies of the bee Monoeca haemorrhoidalis (Smith), four emergence traps were installed in two nest aggregations during the activity period of this solitary bee species. Four species of natural enemies were sampled in the emergence traps: Tetraolytta gerardi (Pic), Tetraonyx distincticollis Pic (Meloidae), Protosiris gigas Melo (Apidae), and Pseudomethoca spixi (Diller) (Mutillidae). Monoeca haemorrhoidalis showed emergence patterns characterized by bimodal curves with two distinct peaks throughout its activity period in both years. Individuals of P. gigas started to emerge during the first peak of its host, but the emergence curve of this cleptoparasite was followed by a decline in abundance of M. haemorrhoidalis specimens in both years. The abrupt decline in the emergence period of M. haemorrhoidalis could be a temporal strategy against the attack of P. gigas since the activity period of this cuckoo bee occurred during the lowest number of emergent host individuals.
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