Hugo A. Werneck

Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) - Campus Viçosa

Plebeia is a taxonomically complex genus of stingless bees characterized by remarkable interspecific morphological similarity. On the other hand, cytogenetic data have been useful to resolve taxonomic uncertainties and to infer the diversification processes. Therefore, the goal of this study was to provide a karyotypic analyses in five nominal taxa...

The genus Partamona includes 33 species of stingless bees, of which 11 were studied cytogenetically. The main goal of this study was to propose a hypothesis about chromosomal evolution in Partamona by combining molecular and cytogenetic data. Cytogenetic analyses were performed on 3 Partamona species. In addition, the molecular phylogeny included m...

The eukaryote genome is enriched by different types of repetitive DNA sequences and is most abundant in heterochromatin regions. Historically, no function has been assigned to these sequences, which makes them the target of studies that have demonstrated their structural and functional importance in the genome. Despite having a constant chromosome...

This study investigates the nesting habits of Epicharis picta in a nest aggregation located in a fragment of the Atlantic forest in Southeastern Brazil. Ten emergence-traps were set up in this nest aggregation to standardize data collection of phenology, natural enemies, and sex ratio. Epicharis picta nests were in an area of 160 m² with a density...

The environmental consequences associated with Fundão tailings dam failure in Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil on 05 November 2015 are still being investigated. Bees are the main pollinators believed to be most affected by the accident because they occur throughout the area affected by the dam rupture and build their nests in the soil. In this study,...

In the present study, we provide data on the biology of Aximopsis masneri, a parasitoid of Euglossa townsendi. We found a nest of E. townsendi built into a knife sheath, in Vic¸osa/MG/Brazil. The Euglossa nests are difficult to find and maintain in the laboratory, to solve this problem, we used closed brood cells containing prepupa of the stingless...

It is thought that two evolutionary mechanisms gave rise to chromosomal variation in bees: the first one points to polyploidy as the main cause of chromosomal evolution, while the second, Minimum Interaction Theory (MIT), is more frequently used to explain chromosomal changes in Meliponini and suggests that centric fission is responsible for variat...

The male accessory glands of stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) are absent and the morphology of their seminal vesicle indicate probable secretory function by this organ. This study investigated the post-embryonic development of the seminal vesicles in males of the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata by histology and histochemistry. White-eyed p...

Resumo: Tipos polínicos coletados por Epicharis (Epicharoides) picta (Smith, 1874) (Apidae: Centridini) em um fragmento de Mata Atlântica. O objeti-vo do presente estudo foi identicar os tipos polínicos coletados por E. picta para o aprovisionamento de suas células de cria. Foram retiradas amostras de pólen do alimento larval, das cargas das escopa...

The present study describes the life cycle of two species of Epicharis, addressing aspects of univoltinism for the genus, and presents data on the development of Tetraonyx spp. Aggregations of nesting areas of Epicharis (Epicharis) nigrita (Friese, 1900) and Epicharis (Epicharoides) picta (Smith, 1874) were studied, respectively, in Luis Antonio (S...

Currently, Brazil is the second global grower of genetically modifed (GM) plants. The farming of this plants can, potentially, harms bees which visit these crops. In the present work, we review the literature about lethal and sublethal effects of transgenic plants resistant to insects on bees. Subsequently, we present the main research about the ef...

Stingless Bees of the Estação Ecológica de Água Limpa, Cataguases-MG, Brazil. This study carried out a survey of nests of stingless bees present in the Estação Ecológica de Água Limpa (EEAL) in the municipality of Cataguases, Minas Gerais. We found twenty-one nests belonging to nine species: Friesella schrottkyi (Friese), Melipona bicolor Lepeletie...

Euglossini are solitary bees considered important pollinators of many orchid species. Information regarding chromosome organization is available for only a small number of species in this group. In the present work, the species Euglossa townsendi and E. carolina were analyzed by cytogenetic techniques to collect information that may aid the underst...

The genus Rhathymus contains only obligatory cleptoparasitic species whose hosts belong to the genus Epicharis (Apidae, Centridini). Host information is available for only four of the 20 species of Rhathymus. In this note a new host record is added, in which the parasitism by R. friesei on nests of Epicharis (Epicharoides) picta is documented.

To evaluate parasitism rate, sex ratio and seasonal cycle of E. picta, 10 emergence-traps of 50cm X 50cm were set up in the dense nesting aggregation of E. picta with an area 150m², located in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Traps remained there between 20/01 and 20/05 2011. There were found 264 individuals in the emergence-traps: 211 of E. picta (79...

Observations about the behavior of E. picta males were conducted in a dense nesting aggregation located in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, between January and April 2011. Researches about male behavior of the genus Epicharis are scarce in the literature. Males patrolled nesting site in dense clusters at a height of 30 to 50 cm. Their flight was alter...

Three species of stingless bees, M flavolineata, M fosciculata and M fuligi-nosa,were cytogenetically analyzed usingconventional staining, C bandingand stained with the Ruorochromes CMA/DA/DAPI.1he chromosome number was the same for the three species, 2n = 18 (female) and n = 9 (male). 1he conventional staining and C banding revealed very condensed...

Abelhas do gênero Oxytrigona é um peculiar grupo dentro das abelhas da tribo Meliponini, por possuir um mecanismo único de defesa efetuados pelas operárias que envolve a liberação de substância cáustica, via oral, que queima suas vítimas. Abelhas deste grupo são encontradas desde a região norte até o sul do país sendo que a organização taxonômica d...

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo fazer a caracterização do cariótipo por meio de coloração convencional, banda C e fluorocromos da abelha sem ferrão Melipona fasciculata coletada na região de Urbano Santos no estado do Maranhão, Brasil. M. fasciculata é restrita ao território brasileiro distribuindo-se pelos estados do Maranhão, Mato Grosso,...

A abelha uruçu amarela pertencente ao complexo rufiventris apresenta ampla distribuição no território nacional, sendo encontrada em vários estados. Atualmente existem seis espécies que podem ser agrupadas dentro do complexo rufiventris: Melipona rufiventris (MG, GO, MS e SP); M. flavolineata (AM, MA, PA e TO), M. brachychaeta (MT), M. paraensis (AP...

Although the diet of the laughing falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) is well known, consisting mainly on snakes, detailed reports of this raptor preying on positively-identified snakes are scarce. This communication documents an oportune observation where an individual of H. cachinnans attacks a boipeva snake (Xenodon merremii) in a pasture area in...