A Comparative Overview of Flower Visiting by Non-Apis Bees in the Semi-arid to Arid Areas of Southern Africa

Gess, Sarah K.; Gess, Friedrich W

doi:10.2317/e7.1

Cited by 24 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Only one species, Aerva javanica ( Figure 20), the only species widespread in the central dune desert, has been recorded for the DDCR (Khafaga 2009). By comparison Amaranthaceae forms a notable component of the vegetation of northern Namaqualand and Namibia where the most numerous species of solitary wasp and bee visitors belong to the Crabronidae: Bembicinae (formerly Nyssonidae) and of solitary bees to the Megachilidae (Gess and Gess 2006). It is perhaps significant that in the present study these two taxa are represented amongst the small number of wasps and bees recorded from Aerva javanica.…”

Section: Amaranthaceaementioning

confidence: 62%

A preliminary survey of flower visiting by aculeate wasps and bees in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, UAE

Gess¹,

Roosenchoon²

2016

JHR

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The present contribution is a first brief attempt to give an overview of flower visiting by aculeate wasps and bees in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), and as far as has been established the first of its kind for the United Arab Emirates. Seventeen sites within the reserve were well sampled and, in order to see the reserve in relation to its position in the peninsula, two one day transects were undertaken, one of brief sampling at six sites east from the reserve to the coast at Khor Kalba and the other of brief sampling at five sites west from the reserve to the coast in the marine reserve of the Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEC). Flower visitors were observed and sampled on 21 species of plants within the DDCR and on two additional species east of the DDCR and two west of the DDCR. Fifty-one species of aculeate wasps and 27 species of bees were recorded. Of the wasps, 34 species were from the DDCR and the additional 15 from transects east and west of the Reserve. Of the bees, 23 species were from the DDCR and the additional two from transects east and west of the Reserve. Flower sampling yielded flower visiting records for 39 species of aculeate wasps and 23 species of bees. Although this preliminary survey of flower visiting by wasps and bees in the DDCR was conducted over a limited period of time, during a dry spring, following seven dry years, it has provided sufficient data to draw some general conclusions: most of the plants attract visits from a complex of both wasps and bees; the flowers of some plants attract a wide range of wasps and bees but there were no flowers that were attractive to all available wasps and bees at any one site; very few species of the wasps and bees encountered were specialists; and the plants on which these specialist wasps and bees were dependent were not themselves dependent on these species for pollination.

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Section: Amaranthaceaementioning

confidence: 62%

A preliminary survey of flower visiting by aculeate wasps and bees in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, UAE

Gess¹,

Roosenchoon²

2016

JHR

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“…There are no records for flower visiting by Megachile maxillosa in the DDCR (Gess and Roosenschoon 2016) nor as far as could be established are there any flower visiting records for this bee from elsewhere in the UAE. However, it has been commonly collected visiting flowers in the semi-arid to arid areas of South Africa and Namibia (Gess and Gess 2003) where it was collected from flowers of Acanthaceae, Apocynaceae (Asclepiadoideae), Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae (Caesalpinoideae, Mimosoideae and Papilionoideae), Pedaliaceae and Polygalaceae, although in Namibia it was most commonly visiting Papilionoideae, most notably species of Crotalaria. No distinction was made between pollen collection and nectar uptake.…”

Section: Megachile (Maximegachile) Maxillosamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Namibia this species has been recorded from flowers of Crotalaria podocarpa DC (Papilionoideae) (Gess and Gess 2003).…”

Section: Megachile (Eurymella) Patellimanamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Notes on the nesting of three species of Megachilinae in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, UAE

Gess¹,

Roosenschoon²

2017

JHR

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Some observations on the nesting of three species belonging to phylogenetically interesting lineages of Megachilinae are presented. Published knowledge of the nesting of these species, Megachile (Maximegachile) maxillosa Guérin-Méneville (Megachilini), Megachile (Eurymella) patellimana Spinola (Megachilini), and Pseudoheriades grandiceps Peters (currently assigned to the Osmiini), is fragmentary making the notes presented here a worthwhile addition. The brood cells of M. maxillosa and of P. grandiceps, constructed from a mixture of resin and sand, were positioned in pre-existing cavities, trap-nests, above ground. The cells of the former are equal in diameter to the boring and are constructed in linear series. Those of the latter are small ovoid and are grouped to form a cluster. Megachile patellimana was nesting in burrows in compacted sandy ground beneath a plant and in the banks of an irrigation furrow. At the former site a female was carrying a freshly cut leaf piece and at the latter another was carrying a cut length of narrow, tough, green plastic. The nest contained a group of identical lengths of plastic, clearly a substitute for leaves.

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“…Entire cells were built using a mixture of sand and resin and the completed nests were closed with a plug of sand and resin. According to Gess and Gess (2003), the same species visits plants from various families but shows a preference for the Fabaceae, notably Crotalaria, in South Africa and Namibia.…”

Section: Subgenus Maximegachile Guiglia and Pasteels 1961mentioning

confidence: 99%

Subgeneric classification and biology of the leafcutter and dauber bees (genus Megachile Latreille) of the western Palearctic (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae)

Praz¹

2017

JHR

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A new identification key is presented for the western Palearctic subgenera of the bee genus Megachile. In addition, the species composition of each subgenus is discussed, and for large subgenera, species groups are delineated to facilitate future taxonomic treatment. villipes Morawitz. In addition, the following taxonomic changes are proposed: the subgenus Paracella is synonymized with the subgenus Anodonteutricharaea (syn. n.); three species, Megachile breviceps Friese, M. luteipennis and M. algira Radoszkowski are excluded from the Palearctic fauna as they were likely based on mislabeled specimens; M. luteipennis is newly placed in synonymy with M. dimidiata Smith (syn. n.), and M. algira with M. opposita Smith (syn. n.); M. punctatissima Spinola is considered an incorrect spelling of Stelis punctulatissima (Kirby) and not a valid species-group name. Heriades sinuata Spinola is newly placed in synonymy with H. truncorum (Linnaeus) (syn. n); M. boops Friese is transferred to the genus Hoplitis (comb. n.) and placed in synonymy with Hoplitis tigrina (Morawitz) (syn. n.); M. pyrsa Vachal is transferred to the genus Prodioxys (comb. n.) and placed in synonymy with Prodioxys carnea (Gribodo) (syn. n.); Stelis megachiloides Alfken is transferred to the genus Megachile (comb. n.) and placed RESEARCH ARTICLEChristophe J. Praz / Journal of Hymenoptera Research 55: 1-54 (2017)

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A Comparative Overview of Flower Visiting by Non-Apis Bees in the Semi-arid to Arid Areas of Southern Africa

Cited by 24 publications

References 5 publications

A preliminary survey of flower visiting by aculeate wasps and bees in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, UAE

A preliminary survey of flower visiting by aculeate wasps and bees in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, UAE

Notes on the nesting of three species of Megachilinae in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, UAE

Subgeneric classification and biology of the leafcutter and dauber bees (genus Megachile Latreille) of the western Palearctic (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae)

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