The "cerrados" of Maranhão are located in the basin of Parnaiba mainly in the eastern and southern part of the state. The area of the study is located in the Western Mesorregion of Maranhão between the municipalities of Urbano Santos and Barreirinhas. The collects were realized monthly from September of 1991 to August of 1992, each one with 12 hours. A total of 196 specimens of Anthophoridae were captured, distributed in 17 species and 6 genus. Centris was the genus with the biggest diversity and abundance (7 species; 115 individuals), followed by Xylocopa (4; 59) and Paratetrapedia (3; 17). The Anthophoridae visited flowers during all the year, but the biggest abundance in the number of individuals was during the months of October and November, coinciding with the period of larger blooming in the "cerrado". Leguminosae and Malpighiaceae constitute the families of plants more visited by Anthophoridae in Barreirinhas.
Apoidea; Anthophoridae; bees; "cerrado"