Biological notes on Centris (Trachina) perforator with a comparative analysis of the species with ground-nesting habits of the genus (Apidae: Centridini)

Abstract

In this study, we present for the first time information on nesting site, the architecture of nests, sex ration, and development of Centris (Trachina) perforator. Furthermore, we revised the literature and summarized the information on the nest biology of ground-nesting species of Centris. The nest of C. perforator consists of a main short tunnel that is split into branches with 2 to 15 brood cells. Females needed approximately one day for the construction and provision of each brood cell. This species is protandric with adults emerging between 48‒83 days. The nest of C. perforator follows the same pattern found in other species of the subgenus Trachina.

Keywords:

• solitary bee
• ground nesting
• oil-collecting bees
• nest architecture
• fossorial bees

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. William de Oliveira Sabino for reading and improving the quality of the initial manuscript and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no potential conflict of interest in relation to the study in this paper

Additional information

Funding

The first author thanks Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for granting the scholarship 134121/2019-8. This paper is part of the SIGMA project N°21565 MN/UFRJ and the contribution number 54 from the HYMN.