Euglossine bees, also called
orchid bees, are the only group of
corbiculateThe pollen basket or corbicula is part of the tibia on the hind legs of the four related lineages of apid bees that used to comprise the family Apidae: the honey bees, bumblebees, stingless bees, and orchid bees. A honey bee moistens the forelegs with a protruding tongue and brushes the pollen...
bees whose non-parasitic members do not all possess
eusocial behaviorEusociality is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification....
. Most of the species are solitary, though a few are communal, or exhibit simple forms of eusociality. There are about 200 described species, distributed in five genera:
EuglossaEuglossa is a genus of orchid bees . Like all their close relatives, they are native to the Neotropics; an introduced population exists in Florida. They are typically bright metallic blue, green, coppery, or golden....
,
EulaemaEulaema is a genus of large-bodied euglossine bees that occur primarily in the Neotropics.They are robust brown or black bees, hairy or velvety and often striped with yellow or orange, typically resembling bumblebees.-Distribution:...
,
EufrieseaEufriesea is a genus of euglossine bees. Like all orchid bees, they are restricted to the Neotropics.They are of metallic or brown/black color and hairy.-Distribution:...
,
ExaereteExaerete is a genus of euglossine bees. Like all orchid bees, they are restricted to the Neotropics.Like most orchid bees, they are metallic , but they are cleptoparasites in the nests of other euglossines in the genera Eufriesea and Eulaema.-Species:* E. azteca Moure, 1964* E....
and the
monotypicIn biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one type. The usage differs slightly between botany and zoology:In botany, a monotypic taxon is a taxon that has only one species: Ginkgo is a monotypic genus, while Ginkgoaceae is a monotypic family...
AglaeAglae is a genus of euglossine bees, with the only described species Aglae caerulea. Like all orchid bees, it is restricted to the Neotropics.They are metallic blue....
, all exclusively occurring in South or Central America (though one species,
Euglossa viridissima, has become established in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
).
Euglossine bees, also called
orchid bees, are the only group of
corbiculateThe pollen basket or corbicula is part of the tibia on the hind legs of the four related lineages of apid bees that used to comprise the family Apidae: the honey bees, bumblebees, stingless bees, and orchid bees. A honey bee moistens the forelegs with a protruding tongue and brushes the pollen...
bees whose non-parasitic members do not all possess
eusocial behaviorEusociality is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification....
. Most of the species are solitary, though a few are communal, or exhibit simple forms of eusociality. There are about 200 described species, distributed in five genera:
EuglossaEuglossa is a genus of orchid bees . Like all their close relatives, they are native to the Neotropics; an introduced population exists in Florida. They are typically bright metallic blue, green, coppery, or golden....
,
EulaemaEulaema is a genus of large-bodied euglossine bees that occur primarily in the Neotropics.They are robust brown or black bees, hairy or velvety and often striped with yellow or orange, typically resembling bumblebees.-Distribution:...
,
EufrieseaEufriesea is a genus of euglossine bees. Like all orchid bees, they are restricted to the Neotropics.They are of metallic or brown/black color and hairy.-Distribution:...
,
ExaereteExaerete is a genus of euglossine bees. Like all orchid bees, they are restricted to the Neotropics.Like most orchid bees, they are metallic , but they are cleptoparasites in the nests of other euglossines in the genera Eufriesea and Eulaema.-Species:* E. azteca Moure, 1964* E....
and the
monotypicIn biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one type. The usage differs slightly between botany and zoology:In botany, a monotypic taxon is a taxon that has only one species: Ginkgo is a monotypic genus, while Ginkgoaceae is a monotypic family...
AglaeAglae is a genus of euglossine bees, with the only described species Aglae caerulea. Like all orchid bees, it is restricted to the Neotropics.They are metallic blue....
, all exclusively occurring in South or Central America (though one species,
Euglossa viridissima, has become established in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). The latter two genera are cleptoparasites in the nests of other orchid bees. All except
Eulaema are characterized by brilliant metallic coloration, primarily green, gold, and blue.
Females gather pollen and nectar as food from a variety of plants, and resins, mud and other materials for nest building. Some of the same food plants are also used by the males, which however leave the nest upon hatching and do not return.
Fragrance collection
Male orchid bees have uniquely modified legs which are used to collect and store different volatile compounds (often
esterEsters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid with a hydroxyl compound such as an alcohol or phenol. Esters are usually derived from an inorganic acid or organic acid in which at least one -OH group is replaced by an -O-alkyl group, and most commonly from carboxylic acids and...
s) throughout their lives, primarily from orchids in the subtribes
StanhopeinaeStanhopeinae is a subtribe of plants in the Orchid family.The subtribe in the strict sense, have viscidia and stipes that are thin and strap-like, they are adapted for attachment to edge of the bee's scutellum or to a leg. Pseudobulbs are usually ribbed/four-angled or flattened. Leaves are...
and
CatasetinaeThe Catasetinae is a subtribe within the Orchidaceae. Its members are widespread in lowland tropical Central and South America up to 1,500 meters. They are found on trees, stumps or old fence posts....
, where all species are exclusively pollinated by euglossine males. These orchids do not produce nectar, and hide the pollen on a single anther under an anther cap; they are not visited by females. The whole pollinarium becomes attached to the male as it leaves the flower. Several flowers from other plant families are also visited by the bees:
SpathiphyllumSpathiphyllum is a genus of about 40 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia. Certain species of Spathiphyllum are commonly known as Spath or Peace Lilies.They are evergreen herbaceous perennial plants with...
and
AnthuriumAnthurium , is a large genus of about 600- 800 species, belonging to the arum family . Anthurium can also be called "Flamingo Flower" or "Boy Flower", both referring to the structure of the spathe and spadix.TROPICOS lists 1901 types, although some of these are duplicates...
(
AraceaeAraceae is a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like hood. The group also goes by the name of Arum family and species in this...
),
DrymoniaDrymonia is a genus of moths of the Notodontidae family. It consists of the following species:* Drymonia dodonaea * Drymonia dodonides * Drymonia obliterata...
and
GloxiniaGloxinia can refer to:*The genus Gloxinia of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae*The plant species Sinningia speciosa, formerly classified in the genus Gloxinia and still commonly known by that name, in the family Gesneriaceae...
(
GesneriaceaeGesneriaceae is a family of flowering plants consisting of ca. 150 genera and ca. 3200 species in the Old World and New World tropics and subtropics, with a very small number extending to temperate areas. Many species have colorful and showy flowers and are cultivated as ornamental plants.Most...
),
CyphomandraCyphomandra was a genus in the flowering plant family Solanaceae . It used to contain about 35 species native to countries of the Americas from Mexico southwards to Northern Argentina....
(
SolanaceaeThe Solanaceae is a family of flowering plants that contains a number of important agricultural plants as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
), and
DalechampiaDalechampia is a genus of plant of the family Euphorbiaceae and of the monogeneric subtribe Dalechampiinae. It comprises about 120 species, all found in lowland tropical areas and especially in the Americas. There are ca. 90 species in the Americas and ca. 10 species each, in Africa, Madagascar,...
(
EuphorbiaceaeThe Spurge family is a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....
) contain one or more species that attract male euglossines.
The chemicals are picked up using special brushes on the forelegs, transferred from there by rubbing the brushes against combs on the middle legs, and finally these combs are pressed into grooves on the dorsal edge of the hind legs, squeezing the chemicals past the waxy hairs which block the opening of the groove, and into a sponge-like cavity inside the hind tibia.
The accumulated "fragrances" are evidently released by the males at their display sites in the forest understory, where matings are known to take place. Although the accumulated volatiles have long been believed to serve as a signal to females, female attraction to male odors has never been demonstrated in behavioral experiments. The behavior of volatile collection is essentially unique in the animal kingdom. Single synthetic compounds are commonly used as bait to attract and collect males for study, and include many familiar flavorings and odors considered appealing to humans (e.g.,
methyl salicylateMethyl salicylate is a natural product of many species of plants. Some of the plants producing it are called wintergreens, hence the common name.-Botanical background:...
,
eugenolEugenol , is an allyl chain-substituted guaiacol. Eugenol is a member of the phenylpropanoids class of chemical compounds. It is a clear to pale yellow oily liquid extracted from certain essential oils especially from clove oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaf . It is slightly soluble in water and...
, cineole,
benzyl acetateBenzyl acetate is an organic compound with the molecular formula C
9H
10O
2. It is the ester formed by condensation of benzyl alcohol and acetic acid....
,
methyl benzoateMethyl benzoate is an ester with the chemical formula C6H5COOCH3. It is formed by the condensation of methanol and benzoic acid...
,
methyl cinnamateMethyl cinnamate is the methyl ester of cinnamic acid and is a white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is found naturally in a variety of plants, including in fruits, like strawberry, and some culinary spices, such as Sichuan pepper and some varieties of basil...
), and others which are not (e.g.,
skatoleSkatole or 3-methylindole is a mildly toxic white crystalline organic compound belonging to the indole family. It occurs naturally in feces , and coal tar, and has a strong fecal odor...
).
Neotropical orchids themselves often exhibit elaborate adaptations involving highly specific placement of pollen packets (
polliniaPollinium, or plural pollinia, is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant.They are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of milkweeds .Most orchids have waxy pollinia...
) on the bodies of the male orchid bees; the specificity of their placement ensures that
cross-pollinationPollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilization and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains, which contain the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
only occurs between orchids of the same species. Different orchid bee males are attracted to different chemicals, so there is also some specificity regarding which orchid bees visit which types of orchid. The early description of this pollination system was by
Charles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist who realised and presented compelling evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors, through the process he called natural selection...
, though at the time, he believed the bees were females. Not all orchids utilize euglossines as pollen vectors, of course; among the other types of insects exploited are other types of bees, wasps, flies, ants, and moths.
The male
EufrieseaEufriesea is a genus of euglossine bees. Like all orchid bees, they are restricted to the Neotropics.They are of metallic or brown/black color and hairy.-Distribution:...
purpurata is highly unusual in actively collecting the
insecticideAn insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...
DDTDDT is one of the most well-known synthetic pesticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
in huge amounts from houses in
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
, without suffering any harm from it.
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