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Abstract
Euglossina bees are distributed exclusively in the Neotropical Region, with more than 190
species described. The group is well known because of the exclusive behavior of males of
collecting aromatic compounds on angiosperm flowers (mainly orchids), fungi and rotten
roots and branches. By the usage of artificial fragrance as baits, it is possible to accomplish
faunistic inventories and study several ecological aspects of the group. Thereby, many works
have been done in the different ecosystems present in the Neotropical Region. In Brazil,
within all the present biomes, the Atlantic Rain Forest is one of the most studied. However,
some areas with peculiar traits, like the Altitude Brejos which occur in northeastern Brazil,
still lack information about its biodiversity. To contribute to the knowledge of the biodiversity
of the Altitude Brejos, in this work we studied the richness of species of Euglossina, the
relative abundance of the species, seasonality, activity time, fragrance attractiveness and
population size in the State Ecological Reserve Mata do Pau-Ferro, an Altitude Brejo area
located in the municipality of Areia, state of Paraíba. Besides, in another site located in the
UFPB Campus II, 4.5 Km away, we also worked to verify if there is dispersion of males
coming from the reserve. At Mata do Pau-Ferro, 12 field daily activities were carried: six days
in the wet season (from July 26 to August 1
st
, 2005) and six days in the dry season (from
January 17 to 22, 2006), always from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. At UFPB Campus II, the study
was carried out from October 18 to 20, 2006, daily from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. On both sites,
bees were attracted with wads of absorbent paper, each one soaked with one of the following
fragrances: benzyl acetate, ionone beta, skatole, eucalyptol, eugenol, methyl salicilate and
vanillin, and captured with an insect net. We used a mark-recapture method in which males,
after captured, were put in plastic vials and kept for some minutes inside a thermal bag
containing ice so that they became inactive. Soon afterwards, they were marked with Edding
791 markers and then released. We took notes of all the individuals collected, grouping them
by specie, the time of the capture and fragrance visited. The same procedure was done on both
sites every day. Only individuals belonging to species not identified in the field were
collected. A total of 2,981 males belonging to 14 species of Euglossina were registered:
Euglossa cordata (Linnaeus, 1758), Euglossa fimbriata Rebêlo & Moure, 1995, Euglossa
melanotricha Moure, 1967, Euglossa perpulchra Moure & Schlindwein, 2002, Euglossa
securigera Dressler, 1982, Euglossa townsendi Cockerell, 1904, Euglossa violaceifrons
Rebêlo & Moure, 1995, Euglossa sp., Eulaema bombiformis (Packard, 1869), Eulaema