Comparative ecology of two specialist bees: Dasypoda visnaga Rossi, 1790 and Dasypoda maura Pérez, 1895 (Hymenoptera, Melittidae)

By

Insafe, EL ABDOUNI
Lhomme, Patrick
Hamroud, Laila
Wood, Thomas
Stefanie, Christmann
Rasmont, Pierre
Michez, Denis

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021

Original Publication

Journal of Hymenoptera research

Volume

81

Pages

109--126

Subjects

Conservation , floral preferences , habitat requirements , Nesting behaviour , Phenology , Scolymus

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Washington, D.C International Society of Hymenopterists

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.81.60528

 

Abstract

Many wild bee species are declining globally. To design efficient mitigation strategies to slow down or reverse these trends, we urgently need to better understand their basic ecological requirements. In this context, we studied two specialist species for which ecological data are scarce:Dasypoda visnagaandDasypoda maura. We provide for the first-time detailed information on their phenologies, morphological traits, floral preferences, and nesting behaviours based on historical data and new samples from Morocco. The flight season of both species extends from late spring to late summer butD. mauraemerges earlier thanD. visnaga. Though the two species show different morphological traits, palynological analyses show thatD. visnagaandD. maurafemales collect almost exclusively pollen fromScolymussp. (Asteraceae). Concerning their nesting behaviour,D. visnagaseems to be more gregarious thanD. maura. Both species build nests in sandy soil that can reach a depth of 80 cm. These ecological observations show that the differences betweenD. visnagaandD. mauraare minor with regards to habitat requirements.