Abstracts
Two species of Timulla Ashmead that parasitize nests of Exomalopsis fulvofasciata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in riparian vegetation in the Miranda Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil were recorded. Also, the behavior of Timulla species, and first report of T. intermissa in the Brazilian Pantanal was reported.
parasitoidism; Pantanal; host report; velvet ant; Mutillini
Registramos duas espécies de Timulla Ashmead parasitando ninhos de Exomalopsis fulvofasciata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) em mata ciliar na região do Pantanal de Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. Foram observados comportamentos das espécies de Timulla e primeiro registro de T. intermissa para o Pantanal Brasileiro.
parasitoidismo; Pantanal; registro de hospedeiro; piolho-de-onça; Mutillini
Introduction
Mutillidae are wasps that parasitize mature larvae or pre-pupae of other insects, especially other aculeate Hymenoptera (Brothers et al. 2000). Among the Hymenoptera, their known hosts are Vespidae (Polistinae, Eumeninae), seveval Halictinae and Bombinae (Apidae) (Brothers et al. 2000), Sphecidae and Crabronidae (Quintero & Cambra 1996, Cambra & Quintero 1993). About 2-3% of Mutillidae hosts are known in the world (Brothers 2006). In the Neotropical region, there were an increasing number of records in recent years (e.g. Mickel 1969, Yanega 1994, Cunha 2004, Lima et al. 2008, Bergamaschi et al. 2010, 2011, 2012).
The mutillid Timulla Ashmead includes species from Africa, Asia, Australia and islands of Pacific Ocean (Mickel 1938). One hundred sixty-one Neotropical species were described and little is known about their biology and hosts (Cambra & Quintero 1993). Most Timulla species have restricted geographic distribution (Mickel 1938) and show high level of host specificity (Wilson 2010). Twenty-seven Timulla species were described in Brazil (Mickel 1938), with 12 species recorded in Mato Grosso do Sul state. There is little information on Neotropical Timulla hosts, having records only for T. centroamericana (Dalla Torre, 1897) (Quintero & Cambra 1996), and T. pictoriaMickel, 1938 (Rocha-Filho et al. 2008). The Timulla fauna is scarcely known in Neotropical region, particularly in the Pantanal, the biggest wetland in the world where only 7 species were recorded (Cresson 1902, Mickel 1938, Aranda & Catian 2008). In this paper we reported the activity of two species of Timulla parasitizing nests of Exomalopsis fulvofasciata (Smith, 1879) and a new record for T. intermissa (Gerstaecker, 1958) in the Brazilian Pantanal.
Material and Methods
We collected samples in the riparian forest of Miranda River (19° 4′ 29.85 ″S, 57° 1′ 9.02″ W). The Pantanal is a vast floodplain, of approximately 140,000 km2, which floods in pulses, characterized by dry periods and low water levels. Flooding is considered one the most selective forces acting on the biota (Junk et al. 1989).
The species of Mutillidae and bee hosts were manually collected, with the use of forceps and entomological hand net, from 14:00 to 17:50h on February 23 and 24, in the rainy season of 2011. Bees' nests were located in an area with sparse vegetation and exposed soil. We counted the number of complete nests and those under construction in five plots of 1m2. Specimens of Timulla (Mutillidae) were identified with the use of specific keys (Mickel 1938) and comparison with type material from the National Museum of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Specimens of E. fulvofasciata were identified by comparison of deposited material from the Zoological Reference Collection of the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (CEUFMS1936-1940), in Campo Grande identified by Dr. Samuel Viera Boff. The specimens were deposited in the Zoological Reference Collection of Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (CEUFMS 2785-2790, 2797-2803).
Results and Discussion
Two species of Timulla that parasitize Exomalopsis fulvofasciata nests were collected, as follows: 20 individuals of Timulla terminalis (Gerstaecker, 1958), and 6 individuals of Timulla intermissaMickel, 1938, parasitizing E. fulvofasciata nests. Timulla intermissa has been recorded for the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes (Mickel 1938, Aranda & Catian 2008) and our study reports for the first time this species in Pantanal floodplain.
Exomalopsis Michener (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Anthophorinae) are solitary bees that nest in the soil, where individuals provide resources for the development of their larvae (Rozen Junior 1984, Norden et al. 1994). Here we observed that females of E. fulsvofasciata built their nests in open areas with sandy soil, in a high concentration of nests: 83% were complete and 17% under construction in five plots of 1m2. Timulla females were observed in this area, entering and staying there for about five minutes in the complete nests and in those under construction.
Our study shows the first record of E. fulvofasciata as a potential host of Timulla species. Species of Timulla have already been recorded parasitizing other hymenopterans: Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972 (Formicidae) (Brothers et al. 2000), Epicharis sp. (Apidae) (Rocha-Filho et al. 2008) and species of Sphecidae and Eumeninae (Vespidae) (Quintero & Cambra 1996, Cambra & Quintero 1993). Other species of Exomalopis have already been recorded as hosts of mutillids. Exomalopsis solani Cockerell, 1896, was parasitized by Pseudomethoca bethae Krombein, 1992 in Arizona and New Mexico, USA (Norden et al. 1994) and Horcomutilla sp. in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil (Lima et al. 2008).
The nests were monitored over six months, but due to Pantanal flood pulses, nest openings were destroyed and the emergence of hosts and parasitoids could not be monitored, and, thus, it has not been possible to obtain data on the frequency of parasitism for the species. The considerable number of Timulla seen upon entering bee nests over a short time interval indicates that the use of E. fulsvofasciata nests in the Pantanal region is not accidental. We consider the behavior of Timulla females in the nests of E. fulsvofasciata as an evidence of parasitism, however future research is also necessary to better understand the ecological relationships involving these species.
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Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
Dec 2013
History
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Received
14 Aug 2012 -
Reviewed
21 Oct 2013 -
Accepted
12 Nov 2013