Ecology and population assessment of Megachile cypricola Mavromoustakis, 1938 (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), a threatened bee endemic to Cyprus
Journal
Journal of Insect Conservation
Date Issued
June 2, 2025
Abstract
Megachile cypricola is a solitary bee endemic to Cyprus, assessed as Critically Endangered in 2014 following IUCN criteria. Recent records suggest that the species is still occurring in a few locations, however information on its ecology and population size is required to revise its status and implement conservation measures. For this purpose, samplings were carried out in four areas during spring 2022. We evaluated: (i) the habitat of M. cypricola; (ii) its foraging ecology and the importance of Onobrychis venosa (endemic Fabaceae reported as its main host-plant) in its diet; (iii) its nesting biology; (iv) its population size. We observed M. cypricola in mediterranean shrublands growing on limestone. O. venosa represented over 95% of the female pollen loads on average, confirming its narrow oligolecty. The nests consisted of external structures made of a dried mortar of sand and secretions regurgitated. A mark-recapture study resulted in an estimate of 849.4 female individuals across three assessment locations. Overall, the study highlights the high degree of specialisation of M. cypricola on a single endemic plant species. It also provides evidence that the species, only known from a restricted number of localities, is relatively abundant locally.
Funding
Jordan Benrezkallah and Rémi Santerre received financial
support from Wallonie-Bruxelles International (programme S.E.E.) and
the Erasmus + program. Rémi Santerre is funded by a doctoral scholarship
from Wallonie-Bruxelles International (Excellence WBI.World).
Denis Michez is supported by DG ENV project ORBIT (Taxonomic
resources for European bees, contract No. 09.029901/2021/848268/
SER/ENV.D.2), H2020 project Safeguard (Safeguarding European
wild pollinators, grant agreement No. 101003476) and the DG ENV
project PULSE (Providing technical and scientific support in measuring
the pulse of European biodiversity using the Red List Index, contract
No. 07.027755/2020/840209/SER/ENV.D.2.).
support from Wallonie-Bruxelles International (programme S.E.E.) and
the Erasmus + program. Rémi Santerre is funded by a doctoral scholarship
from Wallonie-Bruxelles International (Excellence WBI.World).
Denis Michez is supported by DG ENV project ORBIT (Taxonomic
resources for European bees, contract No. 09.029901/2021/848268/
SER/ENV.D.2), H2020 project Safeguard (Safeguarding European
wild pollinators, grant agreement No. 101003476) and the DG ENV
project PULSE (Providing technical and scientific support in measuring
the pulse of European biodiversity using the Red List Index, contract
No. 07.027755/2020/840209/SER/ENV.D.2.).
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