Carlos Alfredo Lopes de Carvalho

Plantas visitadas por Centris spp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) na Caatinga para obtenção de recursos florais

A revision of flower visitation records by bees of the genus Centris in the Caatinga, the xerophylous vegetation predominant in the semi-arid Northeastern Brazil, is presented. This revision includes, besides literature data, results from six annual surveys of the bee fauna and visited flowers, undertaken in limited areas of the States of Paraiba, Bahia and Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. A total of 21 species of Centris were registered in these surveys, the highest species richness was observed in Castro Alves and Itatim (Bahia), 12 and 10 species, respectively. The higher species richness probably results from the presence of elements in adjacent biomas, since these two places are close to the eastern limit of the Caatinga. A total of 69 species of visited plants were registered. Caesalpinia pyramidalis (Caesalpiniaceae) and Melochia tomentosa (Sterculiaceae) are important nectar sources, as indicated by the higher number of Centris visitors and by the number of areas where they occurred. Species of Chamaecrista, Senna (Caesalpiniaceae), and Solanum (Solanaceae) seem to be important pollen sources. Chamaecrista nictitans and C. pascuorum are registered for the first time as pollen sources for Centris hyptidis. The oil sources registered in the Caatinga for Centris bees belong to the families Malpighiaceae and Scrophulariaceae. Among the more abundant species of Centris, those not restricted to the Caatinga region (C. fuscata, C. aenea, C. tarsata and C. trigonoides) present a high similarity in the spectrum of visited plants. C. hyptidis, an endemic species, has a somewhat distinct niche.

Plantas visitadas por Apis mellifera L. no vale do rio Paraguaçu, Município de Castro Alves, Bahia

Samples of plant species visited by Apis mellifera in Castro Alves, State of Bahia (12°45S e 39°26W), valley of the Paraguacu River, were identified from January of 1994 to February of 1995. The community of apicultural plants was characterised by frequency indexes, constancy, abundance, diversity, uniformity and dominance, in relation to the number of bees collected on each plant species. A total of 48 species and 28 families were visited by A. mellifera during the observation period and the main species were Cissus simsiana Roem. & Schult. (Vitaceae), Melochia tomentosa L. (Sterculiaceae) and Portulaca elatior Mart. (Portulacaceae).

Comparison of left ventricular mass and function in obese versus nonobese women <40 years of age.

We evaluated, through Doppler echocardiography, left ventricular (LV) mass and function in 82 obese young women (aged <40 years) who were asymptomatic, without any cardiovascular or pulmonary disease compared with a lean control group matched by age and height. LV mass, LV mass/height, and LV mass/volume were increased in obese women, and a lower LV E- and A-wave velocity ratio was noted, suggesting early cardiac involvement.

Diversidade de abelhas (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) em uma área de transição Cerrado-Amazônia

The bee community in a transition area of Cerrado-Amazonia in Bico-do-Papagaio region, in the of State of Tocantins, Brazil, was studied monthly from November, 1999 to November, 2000, by means of systematic sampling of bees in flowering plants, with the objective of obtaining information on its fauna composition. A total of 5534 individuals distributed in 83 species and 38 genera were collected. The largest abundance of individuals and richness of species was found in the family Apidae sensu Roig-Alsina & Michener. The genera with largest richness of species were Trigona (8), Megachile (7), Centris (6), Augochloropsis (5), Coelioxys (5), Paratetrapedia (5), and Xylocopa (5), while the most frequent species was Apis mellifera. The community structure followed the general pattern found in neotropical areas, showing many species with few individuals and few species with many individuals. The frequency, constancy, and dominancy of species are discussed, and the ecological indexes are presented.

Fontes de pólen utilizadas por Apis mellifera L. e algumas espécies de Trigonini (apidae) em Piracicaba (SP)

Pollen sources used by a colony of Apis mellifera and four colonies of some species of Trigonini were compared during the months of October and November of 1996 in the Câmpus of Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Piracicaba, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil (22o43S; 47o25W; altitude: 580 m). The identification of the vegetable species visited by bees was through the pollen found in the masses located in the workers pollen basket of the studied species. Fifty-three types of pollen were identified, and the largest similarity percentage in the use of the pollen sources was between Nannotrigona testaceicornis and Tetragonisca angustula and the smallest between A. mellifera and T. angustula. The sequence of the species with larger width of the niche food was A. mellifera followed by Plebeia droryana, Partamona helleri, T. angustula and N. testaceicornis, while for the uniformity of use of the pollen sources it was P. helleri, P. droryana, A. mellifera, N. testaceicornis and T. angustula.

Espectro polínico de amostras de mel de Apis mellifera L., coletadas na Bahia

Pollen spectrum found in honey samples from six localities of Bahia State, Brazil, was analyzed with the objective to contribute for the knowledge of the plants used by Apis mellifera L., 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae). The identification of the pollen types was made by specialized literature and by field information. Two hundred pollen grains were studied in order to determine the percentage and the occurrence of each type. Forty three pollen types were identified, being considered as the predominant types Eucalyptus sp. (Myrtaceae), Mimosa verrucosa Benth. (Mimosaceae), M. scabrella Benth. (Mimosaceae) and Bauhinia sp. (Caesalpiniaceae). The accessory pollen types were Alternanthera ficoidea R.Br. (Amaranthaceae), Compositae type (Asteraceae) and Cecropia sp. (Moraceae). It is intense the participation of Mimosa sp. (Mimosaceae) and other wild species in the honey composition of the six localities considered. Eucalyptus sp. (Myrtaceae) is one of the dominant sources of bee food in some regions of Bahia State.

Microbiological Assessment, Nutritional Characterization and Phenolic Compounds of Bee Pollen from Mellipona mandacaia Smith, 1983.

This study aims to assess the microbiological parameters and the chemical composition of 21 samples of stingless bee pollen (Melipona mandacaia) from two regions of Bahia, Brazil (João Dourado and Uibaí), with particular emphasis on the nutritional value, total phenols and flavonoids and fatty acids composition. Regarding the microbiological quality, the studied microorganisms (moulds and yeasts, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp., psychrotrophic and sulfite-reducing Clostridia) were absent in all samples. On the other hand, the values obtained for the aerobic mesophilic microorganism ranged from 11.0 ± 1.0 to 1.32 ± 1.2 cfu∙g−1 (JD samples) and from 282 ± 3.82 to 688 ± 10.1 cfu∙g−1 (U samples). The nutritional parameters (moisture, ash, water activity, pH, total acidity, protein, fiber, total phenolic, flavonoids and reducing sugars) were within the stipulated by law, except for pH and moisture content, which presented superior and inferior values, respectively. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (54.1%) were significantly higher than saturated (42.18%) and monounsaturated (3.71%). It was found that the bee pollen is safe from the microbiological point of view and has a good nutritional quality. The influence of the geographical origin on the assessed parameters was evident, especially concerning the fatty acid profile.This study aims to assess the microbiological parameters and the chemical composition of 21 samples of stingless bee pollen (Melipona mandacaia) from two regions of Bahia, Brazil (João Dourado and Uibaí), with particular emphasis on the nutritional value, total phenols and flavonoids and fatty acids composition. Regarding the microbiological quality, the studied microorganisms (moulds and yeasts, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp., psychrotrophic and sulfite-reducing Clostridia) were absent in all samples. On the other hand, the values obtained for the aerobic mesophilic microorganism ranged from 11.0 ± 1.0 to 1.32 ± 1.2 cfu∙g(-)(1) (JD samples) and from 282 ± 3.82 to 688 ± 10.1 cfu∙g(-)(1) (U samples). The nutritional parameters (moisture, ash, water activity, pH, total acidity, protein, fiber, total phenolic, flavonoids and reducing sugars) were within the stipulated by law, except for pH and moisture content, which presented superior and inferior values, respectively. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (54.1%) were significantly higher than saturated (42.18%) and monounsaturated (3.71%). It was found that the bee pollen is safe from the microbiological point of view and has a good nutritional quality. The influence of the geographical origin on the assessed parameters was evident, especially concerning the fatty acid profile.

Registro de Neosilba zadolicha McAlpine & Steyskal (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) em Umbu-cajá (Anacardiaceae)

Neosilba zadolicha McAlpine & Steyskal is reported for the first time in umbu-cajazeira fruits (Spondias sp.), in Cruz das Almas, State of Bahia, Brazil. A total of 51 specimens were obtained from 4,100 fruits between March and July 2002. This is the first record of N. zadolicha in an Anacardiaceae species.

Características físico-químicas de amostras de mel de Melipona asilvai (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

RESUMOAnalises de amostras de mel da abelha Meliponaasilvai provenientes dos municipios de Itaberaba e Tucano,regiao semi-arida do Estado da Bahia, foram realizadas como objetivo de contribuir para o conhecimento dascaracteristicas fisico-quimicas desse produto. A maioria dosparâmetros fisico-quimicos apresentou valores adequadospara o consumo humano, o que possibilita a exploracaodesse produto pelas comunidades rurais da regiao semi-aridada Bahia. Contudo, o teor de umidade elevado e um aspectoque merece uma maior atencao por parte do produtor, quedevera ter cuidado com a higiene na manipulacao do meldurante a coleta e no processo de armazenamento.Palavras-chave: abelha sem ferrao, Meliponina,Meliponicultura.ABSTRACTHoney samples of the Melipona asilvai stinglessbee collected in the Itaberaba and Tucano counties, semi-arid region of the State of Bahia, Brazil, were analyzed withthe objective of contributing for the knowledge of thecharacteristics physical-chemical of that product. Most of thephysical-chemical parameters showed values adequated forthe human consumption, faciliting the exploration of thatproduct by rural communities of the semi-arid area of Bahia.However, the high humidity values is an aspect that deservesa greater attention by the part of producers, who should haveconcern with hygiene cares when manipulating the honeyduring the collection and the storage processes.Key words: stingless bees, Meliponina, Meliponiculture.

Abelhas (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) visitantes dos capítulos de girassol no recôncavo baiano

Sunflower, Helianthus annuus L., is a cross-pollinating plant whose main pollinator are bees. This work was airmed at getting information about the diversity of visiting bee on sunflower inflorescence, by identifing the possible sunflower pollinators in Reconcavo Baiano region. The bees were collected on September-October of 2004, January-February and May-June of 2005 sunflowers hybrids (AG 920 and AG 930) cultivated in the entomology experimental area of Centro de Ciencias Agrarias e Ambiental da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil. Twenty six species were identified Apis mellifera (58.32%), Nannotrigona testaceicornis (18.53%) and Trigona spinipes (11.37%) were the most abundant species. The other species presented a frequency lower than relative 5%.