BEE DIVERSITY AND BEHAVIOR IN THE BLOOMING OF Antigonon leptopus HOOK. & ARN. (POLYGONACEAE) IN SEMI-ARID REGION

Antigonon leptopus Hook. & Arn. (Polygonaceae), popularly known as amor-agarradinho, is an ornamental plant widely used as a resource for honey bees and stingless bees, however, there is little information on the diversity of bees that use its floral resources, especially in Brazil. The objective of this study was to identify the diversity and behavior of A. leptopus floral visiting bees, as well as to investigate the influence of the microclimate on floral visits, and the efficiency of bees in pollination of the plant. The data collection occurred in the peak of the blooming of the plant, in an area of semi-arid (Petrolina, Pernambuco State, Brazil). Fourteen species of bees were recorded, most collecting nectar and pollinating the flowers from intrafloral behavior. Apis mellifera, Centris trigonoides, and Trigona spinipes were the most frequent species, respectively. The floral visits were concentrated in the morning period, where lower temperature values and higher relative air humidity were recorded. The bees were very efficient in the pollination of flowers (71.08%), compared to spontaneous self-pollination (2.86%). A. leptopus has mellitophilous flowers, attracting a considerable diversity of species, being characterized as a plant with potential for honey bees and stingless bees, and for providing resources for wild bees.