Mariano Lucia

South American native bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) infected by Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia), an emerging pathogen of honeybees (Apis mellifera)

As pollination is a critical process in both human-managed and natural terrestrial ecosystems, pollinators provide essential services to both nature and humans. Pollination is mainly due to the action of different insects, such as the bumblebee and the honeybee. These important ecological and economic roles have led to widespread concern over the recent decline in pollinator populations that has been detected in many regions of the world. While this decline has been attributed in some cases to changes in the use of agricultural land, the effects of parasites could play a significant role in the reduction of these populations. For the first time, we describe here the presence of Nosema ceranae, an emerging honeybee pathogen, in three species of Argentine native bumblebees. A total of 455 bumblebees belonging to six species of genus Bombus were examined. PCR results showed that three of the species are positive to N. ceranae (Bombus atratus, Bombus morio and Bombus bellicosus). We discuss the appearance of this pathogen in the context of the population decline of this pollinators.

A gynandromorph of Xylocopa nigrocincta Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

We describe a mixed gynandromorph of Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) nigrocincta from a single specimen from Argentina. The specimen presents bilateral asymmetry, with the right half of its head displaying male characters and the left half displaying female characters; the mesosoma presents male characters mostly in the right half of the prothorax, pronotal lobe and distal half of the fore tibia and in the pubescence of tarsus; the rest of the mesosoma and the metasoma display female features.

Las especies del género Bombus Latreille en Argentina (Hymenoptera: Apidae): estudio taxonómico y claves para su identificación

This study presents a taxonomic review of the Argentinean species of Bombus. Keys to identify female and male specimens at the species level [including the Palearctic species, Bombus (Megabombus) ruderatus] are given. Three subgenera are recognized: Fervidobombus, the most diversified, with six different species; Coccineobombus and Robustobombus each with one species. For each taxon, queen, worker and male descriptions are given, as well as the following information: morphological variation, comparative comments and geographic distribution. Also, for each taxon SEM photographs of male genitalia and drawings of female sting capsule are provided.

Nesting biology and associated insect enemies of the exotic leaf cutter bee Megachile (Eutricharaea) concinna (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Argentina

The nesting biology of the exotic bee Megachile (Eutricharaea) concinna Smith, 1879 and its negative interactions with other insects were studied. Trap nests made of wood were located in an urban environment in Buenos Aires province, Argentina, and surveyed during 26 months. The lifecycle and the structure of the nest of M. concinna are described. We also report six interactions between this bee and native and exotic parasitoids and cleptoparasites. The species Baryscapus megachilidis is recorded here for the first time in Argentina.

First detection of deformed wing virus in Xylocopa augusti larvae (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Argentina

First detection of deformed wing virus in Xylocopa augusti larvae (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Argentina Mariano Lucia , Francisco J Reynaldi Guillermo H Sguazza and Alberto H Abrahamovich * División Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900FWA, La Plata, Argentina. Cátedra de Virología. FCV-UNLP, La Plata, Argentina. CCTCONICET La Plata., Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina.

A New Gynandromorph of Xylocopa frontalis with a Review of Gynandromorphism in Xylocopa (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopini)

ABSTRACT A new case of gynandromorphism in bees is described and illustrated for the first time for Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) frontalis (Olivier), a widely distributed carpenter bee in the neotropical region. The mixed gynandromorph, recorded from a single specimen from Paraguay, exhibits a mixture of male and female features in all tagmata. Previous literature records of gynandromorphs in Xylocopa Latreille are summarized, and the species identity of some gynandromorphs recorded for South America is revised. Including the specimen described herein, gynandromorphs are now known for a total of 12 species in Xylocopa, half of them in the neotropical subgenus Neoxylocopa.

Study of the acarofauna of native bumblebee species (Bombus) from Argentina

A total of 382 bumblebee specimens were examined: Bombus atratus (n = 310), Bombus morio (n = 42), Bombus bellicosus (n = 16), Bombus opifex (n = 8), and Bombus tucumanus (n = 6). Prevalence, abundance, and intensity of mite infestation for each Bombus species and for each caste were recorded. The different mite species infesting bumblebee specimens were: Kuzinia laevis (Dujardin), Kuzinia americana (Delfinado and Baker), Scutacarus acarorum (Goeze), Pneumolaelaps longanalis (Hunter and Husband), Pneumolaelaps longipilus (Hunter), Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank), and Parasitellus fucorum (De Geer). Numbers of mites varied enormously and ranged from one individual to over 200 per bumblebee. Kuzinia mites were represented by the phoretic forms (hypopi). Only nymphs of P. fucorum were recorded. Only female mites were recorded for the other mite species. Tyrophagus putrescientiae, P. longipilus, S. acarorum, and P. fucorum were less abundant, while K. laevis, K. americana, and P. longanalis were the most abundant. These records of T. putrescientiae, P. fucorum, K. laevis, K. americana, P. longipilus, and S. acarorum are the first for Argentine bumblebees.

Large carpenter bees in Argentina: systematics and notes on the biology of Xylocopa subgenus Neoxylocopa (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

A systematic revision of the species of the genus Xylocopa subgenus Neoxylocopa in Argentina is provided. Seven species are included: X. atamisquensis Lucia & Abrahamovich, X. augusti Lepeletier, X. eximia Pérez, X. frontalis (Olivier), X. mendozana Enderlein, X. nigrocincta Smith and X. tacanensis Moure. The males of X. eximia and X. nigrocincta are described for the first time. Xylocopa jujuyensis Brèthes is a new junior synonym of X. nigrocincta. Photographs, occurrence maps, and identification keys for the species are presented. Information on the nest architecture and substratum preference are also given.

First record of Melaloncha (Diptera: Phoridae) parasitoid associated with Bombus (Apidae: Bombini) in Argentina

Fil: Lucia, Mariano. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Division Entomologia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas; Argentina

The first record of conopid flies (Diptera: Conopidae) and eulophid wasps (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) as parasitoids and hyperparasitoids associated with carpenter bees (Apidae: Xylocopinae) in Argentina

Summary This is the first record for the parasitoid association between eulophids and conopids in the carpenter bee Xylocopa augusti Lepeletier. Biological features of Physocephala Schiner are mentioned. A diagnosis for Pediobius williamsoni (Girault) is given and morphological characters are illustrated.