Intraspecific Variation in Wings of Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard, 1840) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossina) from a Highly Fragmented Landscape in Western Paraná State, Brazil.

Abstract

Current evidence suggests that fragmentation might profoundly affect biological communities, including assemblages of orchid bees. The effects of fragmentation at the individual level, including their morphology, are still poorly understood. Here we explore variation in size and shape of wings of males of the euglossine Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard, 1840) inhabiting a strongly fragmented landscape in western Paraná state, Brazil. Bees were collected both in the largest Brazilian preserve of Seasonal Semideciduous Forest, the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, and in small fragments in the region. We considered traditional landmarks of wings to evaluate their size, shape, and circularity (as a specific shape variation), and studied the allometries between body size and wing traits. We found evidence that, while wing size and allometries did not vary, wing shape, on the other hand, varied significantly, including its circularity, as individuals possessing more circular wings were found at Parque Nacional do Iguaçu. Even if data did not support larger wings in individuals from small fragments, the more circular wings found in males from the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu could be related to the higher maneuverability required for flying in most structurally complex environments.