He Chunling, Zhu Chaodong
Forestry College, Henan University of Science & Technology, Luoyang, China.
Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
J Insect Sci. 2018 Jul 1;18(4). doi: 10.1093/jisesa/iey061.
Xylocopa, an important genus in Hymenoptera: Apidae, is of great significance in research on the early stages of insect social evolution. Most species in this genus burrow into wooden structures. Only the Proxylocopa subgenus nests in the soil. Here, we report the nesting behavior of Xylocopa xinjiangensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopinae), which is distributed only in Western China. During July 2013 and August 2016, we observed the nest architecture and nest building process of X. xinjiangensis. X. xinjiangensis is solitary and nests in the soil walls of gullies, mounds, and cliffs in the Manas area, Xinjiang, multiplying at the rate of one generation a year. Newly emerged females eclose in the fall and build wintering nests first. The next spring, outbound wintering females build breeding nests, although a few wintering females may use the breeding nests built by their mothers. The location and structure of X. xinjiangensis wintering nests are different from those of the breeding nests. The wintering nest is simple in structure, consisting of a tunnel leading perpendicularly from the surface to the interior. The structure of the breeding nest may be either a branching tunnel or a straight-chain tunnel. The first cell that X. xinjiangensis builds in the breeding nest is closest to the entrance, which is a significant difference from the behavior of carpenter bees that construct nests in wood structures. The results of this study lay the foundation for the utilization and protection of X. xinjiangensis resources and facilitate a better understanding of the evolution of the Xylocopa population.
木蜂属是膜翅目蜜蜂科的一个重要属，在昆虫社会进化早期阶段的研究中具有重要意义。该属的大多数物种会在木质结构中打洞。只有近木蜂亚属在土壤中筑巢。在此，我们报告新疆木蜂（膜翅目：蜜蜂科：木蜂亚科）的筑巢行为，该物种仅分布于中国西部。在2013年7月至2016年8月期间，我们观察了新疆木蜂的巢穴结构和筑巢过程。新疆木蜂为独居性，在新疆玛纳斯地区的沟壑、土丘和悬崖的土墙中筑巢，每年繁殖一代。新羽化的雌蜂在秋季羽化并首先建造越冬巢穴。次年春天，出蛰的越冬雌蜂建造繁殖巢穴，不过少数越冬雌蜂可能会使用其母亲建造的繁殖巢穴。新疆木蜂越冬巢穴的位置和结构与繁殖巢穴不同。越冬巢穴结构简单，由一条从地表垂直通向内部的隧道组成。繁殖巢穴的结构可能是分支隧道或直链隧道。新疆木蜂在繁殖巢穴中建造的第一个巢室最靠近入口，这与在木质结构中筑巢的木蜂的行为有显著差异。本研究结果为新疆木蜂资源的利用和保护奠定了基础，并有助于更好地理解木蜂种群的进化。
