Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera,Diptera, Hymenoptera,Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes,food web analysis and conservation recommendations

We describe activity patterns, relative abundances and pollen transport by insect floral visitors in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa, based on field surveys conducted during the early rainy seasons of years 2006 to 2012 (inclusive). Diagnostic notes, illustrations and natural history observations are provided for species in the families Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Cleridae, Lycidae and Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera), Muscidae, Platystomatidae and Tabanidae (Diptera), Apidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, Sphecidae and Vespidae (Hymenoptera), and Pieridae and Thyrididae (Lepidoptera) that transported pollen of tree or shrub species. Observations on floral phenology and pollination syndrome are presented for 27 flowering tree or shrub species. To provide a foundation for studies of the effects of drought and climate change on pollination services in the Kruger National Park, we applied methods of food web analysis to characterise this plant-pollinator assemblage. The food web analysis shows moderate levels of redundancy in plant-pollinator interactions (with connectance values averaging 0.19 for plant species and 0.20 for pollinator species), suggesting that pollination services in this system may exhibit some resilience to environmental perturbations. Possible conservation strategies for maintaining pollination services in this ecological system are discussed, including habitat management to conserve larval or nesting areas for social and solitary bees and scarab beetles, as well as further inventories and long-term monitoring of pollinator species.     

中国常见的访花传粉寄蝇(昆虫纲:双翅目)

访花传粉是显花植物和动物(主要是昆虫、鸟类和蝙蝠)协同进化的结果,已知显花植物85%是由昆虫传媒授粉的。双翅目寄蝇科是一类重要的访花传粉昆虫,突颜寄蝇亚科和寄蝇族等成虫最常见于各类显花植物上。报告了我国常见的访花传粉寄蝇科4亚科18族54属119种物种名录,它们在农林牧业生产、植物保护、害虫生物控制及维护生态系统平衡稳定中意义重大,但还没有被认识和利用。     

长白山北坡访花昆虫研究(Ⅱ)——访花昆虫种类与分布

通过2004～2005年盛花期对长白山北坡4种不同群落（针阔混交林群落、针叶林群落、岳桦林群落、高山苔原群落）的访花昆虫进行调查，结果显示：经初步鉴定，在50种蜜粉源植物上共捕捉251种访花昆虫，其中菊科（Compositae）、蔷薇科（Rosaceae）为优势蜜源植物，食蚜蝇科（Syrphidae）、蜜蜂科（Apidae）为优势访花昆虫．     

Time-lapse photography reveals the occurrence of unexpected bee-pollination in Calanthe izuinsularis,an endangered orchid endemic to the Izu archipelago

Calanthe izuinsularis is a rare, beautiful and fragrant orchid endemic to the Izu archipelago. Although it is known that mainland populations of closely related Calanthe species are pollinated by medium- to large-sized bees, it is likely that C. izuinsularis has been forced to alter its floral biology to attract alternative pollinators, as large-sized bees are rarely found on the Izu Islands. Indeed, the unusual floral characteristics of C. izuinsularis, which produces pale flowers that emit a strong and fragrant scent during the night, are considered the adaptation to a moth-pollinator syndrome. As expected, our time-lapse photography using a digital camera revealed that the inflorescences of C. izuinsularis were most frequently visited by nocturnal moths such as Noctuidae, Geometridae and Crambidae, which accounted for 50% of all insect visits (in terms of both the number of frames with captured visitors and the number of times visited). However, our study could not provide evidence of a pollinator shift towards moths because none of the moth species was observed with pollinaria. On the other hand, our study found that the pollinaria of C. izuinsularis could become attached to the mesothorax of the small-sized sweat bee Lasioglossum occidens. Therefore, our study suggests that C. izuinsularis is still somewhat dependent on bee pollination, while the orchid has changed its floral colouration and scent. The occurrence of bee-pollination in C. izuinsularis would provide an explanation for how the natural hybridisation between C. aristulifera, C. discolor and C. izuinsularis can occur.     

Moth floral visitors of the three rewarding Platanthera orchids revealed by interval photography with a digital camera

We investigated the insect visitors of Platanthera ussuriensis, Platanthera sachalinensis and Platanthera florentii, which might contribute to pollination, using a digital camera with automatic interval photography. Monitoring was conducted for a total of five nights (45 hours), and during every night, at least one moth species visited. The total number of pictures taken and pictures taken of moths were 3607 and 152, respectively. We concluded, based on our findings, that Geometridae and Noctuidae moths probably pollinated P.florentii and P.sachalinensis, respectively, whereas no pollinia attachment or removal was observed in P. ussuriensis during the intensive visit of the Crambidae moth.     

大蓟鲜花提取物对访花昆虫的引诱性气味物质研究

将大蓟Herba cirsii Japonici鲜花乙醇提取物浸膏,两相溶剂萃取和硅胶柱层析分离,使用Y型嗅觉仪测定了各分离流分对熊蜂的嗅觉引诱效果,并运用气相色谱-质谱联用法进行成分分析,确定了大蓟鲜花中对熊蜂具嗅觉引诱性的7个化合物分别为:(3R)-1,7,7-三甲基二环[2.2.1]庚烷-2-酮;4-甲基-3-丁基苯酚;邻苯二甲酸二(乙酸丁酯)酯(酯类);L-来苏糖;十九烷基酸乙酯;(9Z,12Z)-9,12-二烯十八烷基酸;(9Z,12Z,15Z)-9,12,15-十八烷基三烯-1-醇.