Going up: new altitudinal records of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the inter-Andean valleys of southern Ecuador and their potential dispersal route

Abstract

Orchid bees are a conspicuous and ecologically important group of insects, commonly distributed at medium and low altitudes in tropical ecosystems. Therefore, new recordings of orchid bees at higher altitudes are interesting. Here we report the presence of two species of orchid bees in urban and peri-urban environments within the inter-Andean valleys in the province of Azuay in southern Ecuador at more than 2,200 m. One male of Eulaema (Apeulaema) polychroma (Mocsáry, 1899) and a female of Euglossa (Euglossa) cf. charapensis Cockerell, 1917, were recorded in the city of Cuenca at 2,550 m, and several females of Eg. (Eg.) cf. charapensis in the surroundings of the city of Gualaceo at 2,264 m. These new altitude distribution records represent the highest for the genus Euglossa in Ecuador. Also, they show the great altitude dispersal capacity, and high adaptability of these insects to urban and peri-urban environments. Finally, we proposed the Jubones river basin as a potential migration route of these bees from lowland areas in the western foothills of the Andes to the inter Anden valleys of Cuenca and Gualaceo.