The characteristics of stingless bee nests (Apidae: Meliponini) in the Cycloop Mountain Nature Reserve, Indonesia

Introduction: Stingless bees are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. In Indonesia, the distribution of stingless bees are grouped in three regions, namely Indo-Malayan, Wallacea, and Indo-Australian. Ten species of stingless bees have been recorded in Papua, seven of which are endemic. The Cycloop Mountains Nature Reserve (CMNR) is one of the conservation area in Papua, Indonesia, for flora and fauna. Unfortunately, the study of the diversity of stingless bees in Papua has been limited. Objective: To measure the diversity, nesting sites, nest entrance characteristics and nest architecture of stingless bees. Methods: Observation of the stingless bee nests in the nature reserves and in the residential areas used a road sampling method and information from local people, respectively. A total of 22 colonies were studied. Results: Two species of stingless bee were found, namely Tetragonula sapiens (Cockerell, 1911) and Heterotrigona (Platytrigona) planifrons (Smith, 1865). The current study showed new distribution records for T. sapiens and H. planifrons in the CMNR. The nesting site of T. sapiens was commonly found in house foundation, while that of H. planifrons was in coconut palm cavities. The nest entrance of T. sapiens varied, i.e., elliptical, oval, rounded, irregular, horizontally or vertically elongated. Meanwhile, the nest entrance of H. planifrons was vertically elongated. The brood cells of T. sapiens varied, i.e., vertical, horizontal, or semi-clusters, while in H. planifrons was layered vertically. Conclusions: Two species of stingless bees found, T. sapiens and H. planifrons, showed a new distribution records and T. sapiens was a dominant species in Papua. The nest entrance of the species varied in shape, color, and texture.

Introducción: Las abejas sin aguijón están muy extendidas en las regiones tropicales y subtropicales. En Indonesia, la distribución de las abejas sin aguijón se agrupa en tres regiones: Indo-Malayan, Wallacea e Indo-Australian. Se han registrado diez especies de abejas sin aguijón en Papua, siete de las cuales son endémicas. La Reserva Natural de las Montañas Cycloop (CMNR) es una de las áreas para la conservación de flora y la fauna en Papua, Indonesia. Desafortunadamente, el estudio de la diversidad de abejas sin aguijón en Papua ha sido limitado. Objetivo: Medir la diversidad, los sitios de anidación y describir la arquitectura y características de entrada al nido de las abejas sin aguijón. Métodos: Se observaron los nidos de abejas sin aguijón en reservas naturales y áreas residenciales, mediante el método de muestreo de caminos e información de la población local, respectivamente. Se estudiaron 22 colonias. Resultados: Se encontraron dos especies de abejas sin aguijón, Tetragonula sapiens (Cockerell, 1911) y Heterotrigona (Platytrigona) planifrons (Smith, 1865). Este estudio mostró nuevos registros de distribución de T. sapiens y H. planifrons en el CMNR. El sitio de anidación de T. sapiens se encontró comúnmente en los cimientos de las casas, mientras que el de H. planifrons estaba en las cavidades de las palmas de coco. La forma de la entrada al nido de T. sapiens varió: elíptica, ovalada, redondeada, irregular, alargada horizontal o verticalmente. Mientras tanto, la entrada al de H. planifrons se alarga verticalmente. Las celdas de cría de T. sapiens variaron, entre verticales, horizontales o semi-racimos, mientras que en H. planifrons eran verticales. Conclusiones: Se encontraron dos especies de abejas sin aguijón, T. sapiens y H. planifrons, que mostraron nuevos registros de distribución y T. sapiens fue una especie dominante en Papúa. La entrada al nido de las especies varió en forma, color y textura.

Pollen Load and Flower Constancy of Three Species of Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae).

The genera of stingless bees play an important role as pollinators of plants. These bees are actively involved in the pollination of agricultural crops and known to have preferences in selecting flowers to pollinate. The aims of this study were to analyse the pollen load and flower constancy in Tetragonula laeviceps, Lepidotrigona terminata, and Heterotrigona itama. Each individual of species stingless bees collected and was put in a 1.5 mL micro-tube contain 0.5 mL 70% ethanol:glycerol (4:1). Pollen loads on each individual of stingless bees was counted by hemocytometer. Flower constancy of stingless bees was measured based on percentage of pollen type loaded on the body. Results showed that the pollen loads of H. itama was the highest (31392 pollen grains) followed by L. terminata (23017 pollen grains) and T. laeviceps (8015 pollen grains). These species also demonstrated different flower constancy, T. laeviceps on Poaceae flowers (76.49%), L. terminata on Euphorbiaceae flowers (80.46%), and H. itama on Solanaceae flowers (83.33%).

Comparison of Sapwood Discoloration in Fagaceae Trees After Inoculation with Isolates of Raffaelea quercivora, Cause of Mass Mortality of Japanese Oak Trees.

The mass mortality of oak trees has been prevalent in Japan since the late 1980s. The fungus Raffaelea quercivora is transmitted by an ambrosia beetle, Platypus quercivorus, which causes mortality. The beetle is able to bore galleries into the sapwood of most Fagaceae trees in Japan; however, the level of mortality caused by R. quercivora and P. quercivorus differs greatly among tree species. Previous studies by our research group have demonstrated that the virulence of R. quercivora differs among isolates when inoculated into Quercus serrata logs. However, interactions between the virulence of R. quercivora isolates and the susceptibility of other fagaceous species have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we inoculated the fresh logs of 11 fagaceous species with isolates of low and high virulence, and measured the tangential widths of discolored sapwoods 3 weeks after inoculation. Although the discoloration widths of Q. crispula sapwood were similar among all isolates, those of Q. serrata and Q. acutissima tended to increase with the more virulent isolates. Sapwood discoloration in Q. glauca, Q. acuta, Q. salicina, Lethocarpus edulis, and Castanopsis sieboldii was greatly increased by highly virulent isolates. Discoloration in Fagus japonica was not influenced by any of the isolates. The logs of Q. crispula and Q. serrata but not Q. glauca were significantly more discolored by a low-virulence isolate compared with standing trees. The various virulent isolates induced unique sapwood discoloration characteristics in each species, which may explain species-specific differences in mortality rates.

Phylogeny of epilachna, henosepilachna, and some minor genera of phytophagous ladybird beetles (coleoptera: coccinellidae: coccinellinae: epilachnini), with an analysis of ancestral biogeography and host-plant utilization.

Ladybird beetles in the tribe Epilachnini include notorious crop pests and model species studied intensively in various fields of evolutionary biology. From a combined dataset of mitochondrial (ND2) and nuclear (28S) DNA sequences, we reconstructed the phylogeny of 46 species of Epilachnini from Asia, Africa, America, and the Australian region: 16 species in Epilachna, 24 species in Henosepilachna, and one species each in Adira, Afidenta, Afidentula, Afissula, Chnootriba, and Epiverta. In our phylogenetic trees, both Epilachna and Henosepilachna were reciprocally polyphyletic. Asian Epilachna species were monophyletic, except for the inclusion of Afissula sp. Asian and Australian Henosepilachna species likewise formed a monophyletic group, excluding H. boisduvali. African Epilachna and Henosepilachna species did not group with their respective Asian and American congeners, but were paraphyletic to other clades (Epilachna species) or formed a separate monophyletic group (Henosepilachna species) together with Chnootriba similis. The American Epilachna species were monophyletic and formed a clade with American Adira clarkii and Asian Afidentula manderstjernae bielawskii; this clade was the sister group to Asian and Australian Henosepilachna, but was distant from Asian Epilachna. Chnootriba was embedded in the African Henosepilachna clade, and Afissula in the Asian Epilachna clade. Epiverta, which is morphologically unique, was the sister group to Asian Epilachna, although with weak support. From reconstructions of biogeographical distribution and host-plant utilization at ancestral nodes, we inferred an African origin for the common ancestor of the species studied, and found the frequency of host shifts to differ greatly between the two major lineages of Epilachnini examined.