Bees database sampled at APA Macaé de Cima, Nova Friburgo – Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Bees belong to the group of animals responsible for biotic pollination. They contribute to the maintenance of the reproduction of a great number of Angiosperms. Bees are part of the group of animals that carry out biotic pollination. Such pollinators contribute to the maintenance of reproduction of most angiosperms, ensuring the perpetuation of these species. Biotic pollinators also play an important role in food production, with bees standing out as responsible for the increase in fruit production in 70% of cultivated plants. In this study, we present data from bees collected at the APA Macaé de Cima, in the city of Nova Friburgo, state of Rio de Janeiro, South-east of Brazil. Despite the Southeast region being one of the most diverse and best studied areas in the country, there are many gaps in the knowledge of Bees. For the state of Rio de Janeiro most of the studies are focused on the Euglossini tribe. The studied area is an interesting place for the research on pollinators, especially bees, as it is one of the most important remnants of Atlantic Forest in the state. The collections were carried out with a periodicity of 40 days between 2018 and 2019 and three different bee collection methodologies were used: Pan traps, bait traps and entomological nets. A total of 1105 individuals were collected, distributed in 103 morphospecies, from which 60 were identified at species level. The species are distributed in 56 genera from 21 tribes belonging to the five families that can be found in Brazil. This dataset provides data on the abundance and richness of bees over two years, for a region where there were no previous surveys for the group. In addition, there are records of interactions between bees and plants contributing to the knowledge of the ecology of these organisms.