Nota

https://doi.org/10.25085/rsea.790307

Physocephala inhabilis (Díptera: Conopidae) as a parasitoid of Megachile (Sayapis) bomplandensis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Argentina

Physocephala inhabilis (Díptera: Conopidae) como parasitoide de Megachile (Sayapis) bomplandensis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) en Argentina

 

Valentín ALMADA 1

Lucrecia DEMARCHI 1

Esteban O. FERRERAS1

Jens-Hermann STUKE2

David K. CLEMENTS3

Mariano LUCIA1-4'*

1    División Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Edificio Anexo Museo, Unidades de Investigación FCNyM. La Plata, Argentina. *E-mail: mlucia@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar

2    Roter Weg 22, D-26789 Leer, Germany.

3    7 Vista Rise, Llandaff, Cardiff, CF5 2SD, U.K.

4    CONICET, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Argentina.

Received 30 - VI - 2020

Accepted 24 - VIII - 2020

Published 28 - IX - 2020

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ABSTRACT. The conopid fly Physocephala inhabilis (Walker) is newly recorded as parasitoid of the native bee Megachile (Sayapis) bomplandensis (Durante). We also document an unidentified species of Physocephala parasitizing a Megachile (Chrysosarus) sp. in Argentina.

KEYWORDS. Anthophila. New host record. Pollinator. Wild bee.

RESUMEN. El conópido Physocephala inhabilis (Walker) es registrado como parasitoide de la abeja nativa Megachile (Sayapis) bomplandensis (Durante). También se reporta el hallazgo de una especie sin identificar del género Physocephala parasitando a Megachile (Chrysosarus) sp. en Argentina.

PALABRAS CLAVE. Abeja silvestre. Anthophila. Nuevo registro de hospedador. Polinizador.

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The conopid flies are - as far as is known - solitary and internal parasitoids of insects, chiefly of aculeate wasps and bees (Hymenoptera). The females of these flies attack adult bees during flight and oviposit through the intersegmental membranes of the metasoma, where the parasitoid larvae will develop (e.g. De Meijere, 1904; Howell, 1967). There are currently some 129 recognized species of Physocephala Schiner around the world, of which 28 are present in the Neotropics and nine have been recorded in Argentina (Gibson et al., 2014). To date, 15 Neotropical species of this genus have been recorded parasitizing adults of various bee genera (Stuke et al., 2011; Stuke & Cardoso, 2013; Couto & Camillo, 2014; Plischuk et al., 2017; Stuke, 2017).

Bees of the family Megachilidae are pollinators of wildflowers as well as of several important crops worldwide. Some species are used commercially as managed crop pollinators (Pitts-Singer & Cane, 2011; Haider et al., 2014). The genus Megachile occurs in a wide diversity of habitats in all continents except Antarctica, ranging from lowland tropical rain forests and deserts to high elevation environments (Gonzalez et al., 2019). More than 430 species grouped in 31 subgenera are recorded for the Neotropical region (Raw, 2007; Gonzalez et al., 2018; Roig-Alsina, 2020). Most species of Megachile build their nests in pre-existing burrows or cavities using pieces of leaves that are used to create the breeding cells. However, members

Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina 79(3): 45-47, 2020 of the subgenera Chrysosarus Mitchell and Sayapis Titus use other materials such as mud combined with leaves or petals or chewed leaf material with soil or small pebbles (Michener, 2007). Currently, eight species of Megachile have been cited as being parasitized by different species of Physocephala around the world (Stuke & Cardoso, 2013). In the Neotropics, the species Megachile (Moureapis) maculata Smith from Brazil has been recorded as host of Physocephala inhabilis (Walker) (Stuke & Cardoso, 2013) and of an unidentified conopid fly (Cardoso & Silveira, 2011). In this paper we add new records of Physocephala parasitizing two Argentinian species of Megachile .

As part of a study on the diversity of native bees associated with horticultural crops performed using trap-nests made of wooden blocks, on 4-III-2019 we found a dead female of Megachile (Sayapis) bomplandensis (Durante) inside a trap-nest of 8 mm in diameter (Fig. 2). On 27-X-2019, approximately nine months later, a single male of P. inhabilis emerged (Fig. 1). Also, on 17-XII-2013, we found a dead female of Megachile (Chrysosarus) sp. (Fig. 3) inside a trap nest of the same diameter. The adult of the conopid did not emerge but the puparium was morphologically similar to that of the P. inhabilis found inside the M. bomplandensis (Fig. 3). Thus, we assumed it was likely to be the same genus of conopid.

Physocephala inhabilis is widely distributed in the Neotropical region (Stuke, 2017) and in Argentina, where it has been recorded in the Mendoza, Tucumán and Río Negro provinces (Krober, 1915 [as soror]; Camras & Parrillo, 1996; Gibson et al., 2014). Evidence suggests that P. inhabilis, a relatively small species of conopid, has a wide host range, parasitizing both medium-sized bees such as Megachile and Centris [i.e. Megachile (Moureapis) maculata Smith (Stuke & Cardoso, 2013), M. (Sayapis) bomplandensis (this paper), and Centris analis Fabricius (Santos et al., 2008; Couto & Camillo, 2014)] with body size-ranges from about 9-10 mm, as well as larger species such as Centris vittata (Fabricius) and Epicharis bicolor Smith (Santos et al., 2008), with body size ranges of 20-22 mm and 16-18 mm respectively. The time between the collection date of the dead bee and the emergence of the conopid fly in our study is similar to that recorded for other conopid species such as Physocephala wulpi Camras reared from Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) augusti Lepeletier. Physocephala wulpi emerges in the spring from puparia which are collected during the late summer or early autumn, having overwintered within the dead host (Lucia et al., 2020).

Material examined

One S of Physocephala inhabilis (Walker) ARGENTINA, La Plata, Buenos Aires, 34°54'39MS, 57° 55'37'W 18 m.a.s.l., emerged on 27-X-2019, Col. M. Lucia, & V. Almada. (ex female of Megachile (Sayapis) bomplandensis collected on 4-III-2019); 1 Puparium of Physocephala spec., ARGENTINA, La Plata, Buenos Aires 34°54'39MS, 57°55'37"W, 18 m.a.s.l., Col. M. Lucia (ex female of Megachile (Chrysosarus) sp. collected on 17-XII-2013). The specimen of Physocephala as well as the two adult females of Megachile and the conopid puparium, were deposited in the collection of División Entomología del Museo de La Plata, Argentina (MLP).

Fig. 1. Physocephala inhabilis male. a, habitus in lateral view; b, habitus in dorsal view; c, head and thorax in dorsal view; d, head in frontal view. Scale bars: (a-b) 2 mm; (c-d) 1 mm.

Fig. 2. Females of Megachile (Sayapis) bomplandensis (Durante). a, habitus in lateral view; b, head in frontal view; c, part of the metasoma containing puparium of Physocephala inhabilis in dorsal view. Scale bars: 2 mm.

 

ALMADA, V. et al. Leaf-cutter bees parasitized by Physocephala spp.

 

Fig. 3. Female of Megachile (Chrysosarus) sp. a, habitus in lateral view; b, head in frontal view; c, part of the metasoma containing puparium of a Physocephala species in dorsal view. Scale bars: 2 mm.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Victor González and three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments which improved the manuscript. Also, Unidad Vivero (FCNYM, UNLP) for their support. This work was partially supported by PICT 2016-1846. Financial support was provided to ML by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicasy Técnicas, Argentina (CONICET).

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