Insects

Entomofauna associated to the floration of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae) in the Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

We collected 1.624 insects belonging to eight orders and 64 families on the flowers of one individual of S. terebinthifolius. Diptera showed higher family richness with 17, followed by Hymenoptera with 12 and Hemiptera with 11. Vespidae and Apidae, with 616 and 317 individuals respectively, were the families with the greatest number of individuals collected. 92.0% of these insects had pollen attached to their body, which confirms the importance of these insects as pollen vector and potential pollinators.

Pollen vector wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae), Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil

The wasps Polistes versicolor, P. simillimus, Polybia sericea and P. ignobilis had large quantities of pollen on their body, beyond high values of dominance and constancy, proving its importance on pollen transportation and potential to act as pollinators of Schinus terebinthifolius.