Pollination of Angelonia cornigera Hook. (Scrophulariaceae) by Long-Legged, Oil-Collecting Bees in NE Brazil

Abstract

The pollination of Angelonia cornigera Hook. (Scrophulariaceae) was studied in Caatinga vegetation, in the municipality of Buíque, Pernambuco state, northeastern Brazil. The plant is a perennial of open areas. Up to 60 flowers are produced in terminal, leafy racemes. The flowers are violet, strongly zygomorphic, of gullet type, with a pair of posterior pockets. Each pocket contains a patch of oil-producing glandular hairs (elaiophore). The flowers were only visited, and pollinated, by oil-collecting female bees of the Apidae-Apinae: Centris hyptidis and Tapinotaspis spec. nov. 1. These two bees differ considerably in size but they share the peculiarity of possessing one pair of disproportionately elongate legs suitable to gain access to the concealed elaiophores. In C. hyptidis, it is the front pair, whereas in T. spec. nov. 1 the mid pair of legs is elongated. T. spec. nov. 1 exhibited two modes of visiting behaviour. Angelonia cornigera is self-incompatible; it does not set fruits from spontaneous or manual self-pollination. This is the fifth observed species of the genus Angelonia whose flowers are adapted to oil-collecting bees in the Caatinga formation. Its flowers deviate in several aspects from the other studied Angelonia spp. regarding pollination relationships. New data on A. hirta and A. tomentosa are appended.

Melittophily - oil flowers - elaiophores - long-legged bees - Apidae-Apinae - Centridini - Tapinotaspidini - Caatinga

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Section Editor: G. Gottsberger