Mating System and Sleeping Behaviour of the Male and Female Centris (Paracentris) burgdorfi Friese (Apidae, Centridini)

We describe the mating behaviour of males of Centris ( Paracentris ) burgdorfi , a solitary, univoltine bee, with a wide distribution in Brazil. We also describe the unusual sleeping sites of males and females. The study was performed during two breeding seasons, in northeastern Brazil, where the sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of insect behavior 2017, Vol.30 (1), p.103-118
Main Authors: O. Sabino, William, da Silva, Cláudia Inês, Alves-dos-Santos, Isabel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Animal behavior
Animal Ecology
Animal reproduction
Apidae
Bees
Behavioral Sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Centris
Entomology
Evolutionary Biology
Life Sciences
Neurobiology
Sleep
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Summary:We describe the mating behaviour of males of Centris ( Paracentris ) burgdorfi , a solitary, univoltine bee, with a wide distribution in Brazil. We also describe the unusual sleeping sites of males and females. The study was performed during two breeding seasons, in northeastern Brazil, where the species nests in aggregations in petrified dunes. Data on mating behaviour were collected through direct observations of the bees at the nesting-emergence site. Males compete intensely for virgin females in the morning, sometimes killing rivals. The high competition for females near the nesting site makes that the male has to take the female to another place to get genital contact. In the evening, males do not use plants to spend the night, instead they aggregate in sleeping clusters inside old burrows in the nesting-emergence area while females sleep in groups on plants that provide the floral oil used in nest construction.
ISSN:0892-7553
1572-8889
DOI:10.1007/s10905-017-9600-x