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We describe the nesting biology of Centris (Paracentris) burgdorfi, a solitary bee that nests in sandstone in northeastern Brazil. The nest consists of a shallow tunnel with access to the brood cells. Females of C. burgdorfi made 1–7 brood cells per nest with each cell requiring 2.58 ± 0.40 (X ± SD) days to construct. The average cell-building construction time was longer when compared to other Centris species. Females were larger than males, and this difference was reflected in the size of their respective emergence cells. The temperature within C. burgdorfi nests was lower when compared to ambient temperature. Our study is the first to report the nesting biology of C. burgdorfi. The detailed behavior of the female inside the nest was also described, which is unusual in the study of solitary bee nesting biology.
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Biology of Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) asteris Robertson (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), an eastern aster specialist that makes a very deep nest
Here we present the first description of nest architecture, immature stages, and brood-parasitism of Andrena (Callandrena s. l.) asteris (Aster Miner Bee) and the first description of the nesting biology of any Callandrena in eastern North America. Brood cells varied from 50 to 91 cm in depth, making this the deepest solitary bee nest recorded in northeastern North America. Additionally, we assembled data on soil texture, phenology, geographic distribution, and host-plant preferences. By modeling publicly available observation data, we find that areas of peak habitat suitability for A. asteris are in proximity to coastal and inland shorelines and major water courses. Our results corroborate a recent assessment of the conservation status of New York pollinators, which ranked A. asteris as “vulnerable”.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1929499
- PAR ID:
- 10426740
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Northeastern naturalist
- Volume:
- 29
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 0310-379X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 474-491
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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