Eulaema chocoana, nueva especie de abeja euglosina de la costa pacífica colombiana

Se describe y se presenta la diagnosis comparativa de una nueva especie del género Eulaema Lep., posiblemente endémica del área biogeográfica del Chocó. El. chocoana presenta un patrón de coloración constante que coincide con el patrón tipo bombiformis de El.meriana pero es claramente distinguible de esta y otras especies relacionadas por caracteres estructurales. Se discuten además aspectos ecológicos y de distribución geográfica de esta nueva especie.Description and comparative diagnosis are given for a new species of the Genus Eulaema. Eulaema chocoana is possibly an endemic species from the biogeographic Choco area. Eulaema chocoana presents a constant color pattern, which coincides with the "bombiformis" pattern of El. meriana but it is clearly distinguishable from these and other related species because of the structural characters. Geographical distribution and ecological aspects are also being discussed

Neotropical stingless bees display a strong response in cold tolerance with changes in elevation

Tropical pollinators are expected to experience substantial effects due to climate change, but aspects of their thermal biology remain largely unknown. We investigated the thermal tolerance of stingless honey-making bees, the most ecologically, economically and culturally important group of tropical pollinators. We assessed changes in the lower (CTMin) and upper (CTMax) critical thermal limits of 17 species (12 genera) at two elevations (200 and 1500 m) in the Colombian Andes. In addition, we examined the influence of body size (intertegular distance, ITD), hairiness (thoracic hair length) and coloration (lightness value) on bees’ thermal tolerance. Because stingless beekeepers often relocate their colonies across the altitudinal gradient, as an initial attempt to explore potential social responses to climatic variability, we also tracked for several weeks brood temperature and humidity in nests of three species at both elevations. We found that CTMin decreased with elevation while CTMax was similar between elevations. CTMin and CTMax increased (low cold tolerance and high heat tolerance) with increasing ITD, hair length and lightness value, but these relationships were weak and explained at most 10% of the variance. Neither CTMin nor CTMax displayed significant phylogenetic signal. Brood nest temperature tracked ambient diel variations more closely in the low-elevation site, but it was constant and higher at the high-elevation site. In contrast, brood nest humidity was uniform throughout the day regardless of elevation. The stronger response in CTMin, and a similar CTMax between elevations, follows a pattern of variation documented across a wide range of taxa that is commonly known as the Brett’s heat-invariant hypothesis. Our results indicate differential thermal sensitivities and potential thermal adaptations to local climate, which support ongoing conservation policies to restrict the long-distance relocations of colonies. They also shed light on how malleable nest thermoregulation can be across elevations

Nuevos registros de abejas megachilidas (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) para Colombia

The bee family Megachilidae consists of solitary species, some of which are important pollinators of cultivated plants. Although literature records indicate the existence of about 50 species of 10 genera of megachilid bees in Colombia, taxonomic studies are lacking and thus limited information is available on their identity as well as their distribution in the country. Herein, we provide new geographical records for the following ten species: Anthidium sanguinicaudum Schwarz, Chelostomoides otomita (Cresson), Hoplostelis bilineolata (Spinola), Megachile amparo Gonzalez, M. kalina Gonzalez et al., M. lorenziensis Mitchell, M. moderata Smith, M. simillima Smith, Pseudomegachile lanata (Fabricius), and Stelis costaricensis Friese. We report M. kalina for the first time for the country.Las abejas de la familia Megachilidae son especies solitarias, algunas de ellas importantes polinizadores de cultivos. Aunque en la literatura se registran cerca de 50 especies de 10 géneros de abejas megachilidas en Colombia, faltan estudios taxonómicos y, por lo tanto, se dispone de información limitada sobre la identidad y la distribución de este grupo en el país. En este trabajo proporcionamos nuevos registros geográficos para 10 especies poco conocidas [Anthidium sanguinicaudum Schwarz, Chelostomoides otomita (Cresson), Hoplostelis bilineolata (Spinola), Megachile amparo Gonzalez, M. kalina Gonzalez et al., M. lorenziensis Mitchell, M. moderata Smith, M. simillima Smith, Pseudomegachile lanata (Fabricius), y Stelis costaricensis Friese]. Megachile kalina se registra por primera vez para Colombia

Discovery of Megachile (Pseudomegachile) lanata (Fabricius, 1775) (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) in Colombia, an adventive bee species from the Old World

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.We record for the first time for Colombia Megachile (Pseudomegachile) lanata (Fabricius, 1775), a bee species from Southeast Asia. This is the first record of an adventive bee species for the country besides Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758, the European honey bee. Megachile lanata appears to have arrived to the Caribbean coast of Colombia nearly half a century ago, reaching the Orinoquia region recently. We provide comments on diagnostic features to facilitate the recognition of this bee species and discuss its possible establishment in Colombia

Una nueva especie de eulaema (hymenoptera: apidae) del chocó, colombia

Se describe Eulaema sororia, una especie cercana a El. meriana, aparentemente restringida al área del Chocó biogeográfico de Colombia y la zona adyacente de Ecuador, donde probablemente se desarrolló en un refugio de bosque en el Pleistoceno.Eulaema sorotie is described. It is a sibling species of El. meriana, apparently restricted to the Chocó area of Colombia and adjacent Ecuador, where it probably developed in a Pleistocene forest refugium

Comunidades de macroinvertebrados acuáticos en quebradas de la Isla de Providencia, mar Caribe colombiano

Despite the widespread use of aquatic macroinvertebrates in basic and applied studies of aquatic ecology, little is known of Providence, even more when the biota of the islands represents itself a subject of interest because of its relationships with the mainland and other nearby islands. This study described the composition and structure of the island’s aquatic macroinvertebrates communities during three periods related to hydrologic cycle, and identified the geographic distributions of the faunal elements found.  Five sites of the island (Lazy Hill, Bailey, Fresh Water, El Pico and Old Town) in which physical and chemical parameters were measured, and organisms were collected in the available microhabitat.  Descriptors (species richness and abundance) and diversity indexes (Margalef diversity index, Simpson’s dominance index and Shannon-Wiener index) of the population were calculated. Kruskal Wallis test was applied to establish differences between abundance and seasons, and a CCA test for establish the association of the organisms with physical and chemical parameters.  It was found that Lazy Hill and The Peak are the most diverse sites (DMg 7.15 and 8.40, respectively) and they may be a valuable refuge for the communities during the dry season.  Geographic distributions did not allow recognition of endemism at the genera level, but the communities studied are mainly a combination of cosmopolitan and Central and South American elements. Seasonality has a remarkable effect on the composition of communities, being greater at sites with less intervention, as Lazy Hill and The Peak.A pesar del uso extendido de las comunidades de macroinvertebrados dulceacuícolas en estudios básicos y aplicados de ecología acuática, es poco lo que se conoce para la Isla de Providencia, más aun cuando la biota de las islas es de interés por sus posibles relaciones con el continente y con islas cercanas. El presente estudio caracterizó la composición y la estructura de las comunidades de macroinvertebrados dulceacuícolas de la Isla durante tres periodos de muestreo relacionados con el ciclo hidrológico e identificó las distribuciones geográficas de los elementos faunísticos encontrados. Se seleccionaron cinco sitios (Lazy Hill, Bailey, Fresh Water, El Pico y Old Town) en los cuales se midieron variables físicas y químicas y se recolectaron individuos en cada microhábitat disponible. Posteriormente se calcularon descriptores de la comunidad (riqueza específica y abundancia) e índices de diversidad (diversidad de Margalef, dominancia de Simpson y equidad de Shannon-Weiner) y se aplicaron pruebas de Kruskal Wallis para establecer las diferencias en las abundancias entre las épocas de muestreo y entre los sitios. Un ACC se realizó para establecer la asociación de los organismos con las variables físicas y químicas. Se encontró que los sitios de Lazy Hill y El Pico son los que representan mayor diversidad (DMg: 7.15 y 8.40, respectivamente) y pueden ser un refugio importante para las comunidades en la época de sequía. Las distribuciones geográficas no permitieron reconocer endemismos a nivel genérico, sino que las comunidades estudiadas son una combinación de elementos cosmopolitas centro y suramericanos principalmente. La estacionalidad tiene un efecto notable sobre la composición de las comunidades, siendo mayor en los cuerpos de agua con menos obras de intervención como Lazy Hill y El Pico.

Clave para la determinación de exuvias pupales de los quironómidos (Diptera: Chironomidae) de ríos altoandinos tropicales

The Chironomidae is a cosmopolitan family of Nematoceran flies with more than 20 000 species described. However the diversity of genera and species of the family in the Andean region beyond the 2 000m.a.s.l are scarcely known. We conducted faunal surveys and biomonitoring research in different streams of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru from May 2005 to October 2011. Based on specimens collections, and a taxonomic key was developed to identify pupae and pupal exuviae of 46 genera of midges (Diptera, Chironomidae) collected from streams at high altitude areas on the Andean tropical mountains. We included illustrations and brief taxonomic descriptions for all genera, of which several ones have not yet been formally described; in this latter case we used the nomenclature of Roback & Coffman (1983). For two genera, Cricotopus and Genus 1, keys to the most common morphospecies were provided. Results showed that in this area the chironomid assemblages are dominated by the members of the subfamily Orthocladiinae (22 genera) followed by the Chironominae (13). Six genera of Tanypodinae were identified, while only three and two genera were present from subfamilies Podonominae and Diamesinae. This key may be very useful for both studies about drift in streams, and for biomonitoring purposes

Eufriesea nigrescens y e. pretiosa (hymenoptera: apidae: euglossini): un caso de oportunismo o simbiosis?

Una colonia mixta se forma cuando un nido es ocupado por más de una especie (Michener 1974). En Bombus, este tipo de colonias son muy comunes de manera natural; la reina de una especie invade el nido de otra, mata a la reina hospedera y pone sus propias crías (Michener 1974). Este tipo de relaciones interespecíficas son raras en otros apidos y han sido registradas una sola vez entre dos especies de Meliponini: Melipona fuliginosa y M. panamica (= M. fasciata ) (Roubik 1981, Roubik, como pers.), y dos especies de Euglossini: Eulaema cingulata y E. polychroma (Roubik 1990)

Bioindicación de la calidad del agua con lógica difusa sugeno y macroinvertebrados acuáticos de la sabana de bogotá

Se presenta una implementación de la metodología de lógica difusa Sugeno que permite el cálculo de la calidad biológica del agua en la Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia. Se emplearon un total de 28 sitios correspondientes a 9 subcuencas de la Sabana de Bogotá. Los organismos utilizados para la implementación del modelo de lógica Sugeno fueron: Leptoceridae e Hydrobiosidae como indicadores de aguas limpias, Planariidae y Amphipoda como indicadores aguas contaminadas y como indicadores de aguas muy contaminadas se seleccionaron Psychodidae y Syrphidae. Adicionalmente se incluyo la familia Chironomidae. Los resultados obtenidos con la aplicación de la lógica Sugeno fueron confrontados con los valores del índice fisicoquímico (Cfq) para comprobar el nivel de confiabilidad de la metodología de 1ógica Sugeno, observándose una correlación altamente significativa.An application of the Sugeno-rype fuzzy logic to calculate biological water quality in Bogota, Colombia is presented 28 sites corresponding to 9 watersheds in the Bogota area were used. The organisms selected were: Leptoceridae and Hidrobiosidae as indicators of dean waters, Planariidae and Amphipoda as indicators of polluted waters and Psychodida and Syrphidae as indicators of highly polluted waters Chironomids were also included. In order to prove the degree of reliability of Sugeno-type fuzzy logic, the results obtained were compared with values for the Cfq index, and a highly significant correlation was obtained

Una metodología para el cálculo de valores primarios de bioindicación

RESUMENEste trabajo presenta una propuesta metodológica para determinar los valores numé-ricos de indicación primaria de un taxón hipotético cualquiera con respecto a un factoro conjunto de factores ambientales hipotéticos en una región determinada. Los valoresnuméricos de indicación primaria corresponden a la Tolerancia mínima (Tm) de untaxón cualquiera a un determinado factor ambiental o un conjunto de dichos factoresexpresados en un índice de calidad ambiental. Estos valores son deter-minados paracada taxón tomando el quinto percentil de la curva de distribución normal ajustada, apartir de las abundancias de cada grupo taxonómico en muestras tomadas sobre diezintervalos o clases de la escala ambiental del factor o del índice de calidad.A methodology to calculate numeric values of primary indication values for ahypothetical taxon in relation to one or several hypothetical environmental factors in agiven regions, is proposed. Primary indication numeric values correspond to theminimum tolerance (Tm) of any taxon to one or several environmental factors expressedby an environmental quality index. These values are obtained for each taxon basis of thefifth percentile of the normal adjusted distribution curve, using the abundance of eachtaxon in samples taken at ten intervals or classes in the environmental scale of eachfactor or group of factors on the corresponding quality index