Observations on the nesting biology of three Brazilian centridine bees:Melanocentris dorsata(Lepeletier 1841),Ptilotopus sponsa(Smith 1854) andEpicharitides obscura(Friese 1899) (Hymenoptera Anthophoridae)

摘要

Nests of three neotropical species of centridine bees:Melanocentris dorsata(Lepeletier 1841),Ptilotopus sponsa(Smith 1854) andEpicharitides obscura(Friese 1899) were studied. Information aboutM. dorsatawas obtained from a relatively large aggregation of nests found in a suburb of the city of Curitiba (low montane subtropical moist forestlife zone), Paran#xE1; State (South Brazil), while the data aboutP. sponsawere gathered from a brief observation of a single nest constructed in an arboreal nest of a termite (possibly aMicrocerotermesspecies) in Porto Nacional(premontane tropical dry forest), Goi#xE1;s State (Central Brazil). Information aboutE. obscurawas also obtained from the examination of a single nest in an initial stage of construction found on flat ground in the forest in Alexandra, Paranagu#xE1;(premontane subtropical wet forest), Paran#xE1; State. Information concerning nesting sites and nest structure is presented. ForPtilotopus sponsathere is a relatively extensive paper written by PICKEL (1928) so the present observations are just complementary additions to PICKEL's work.