Faunistic and ecological studies on apidae (hymenoptera apoidea) in natural and cultivated ecosystems in Sicily

The authors give the results from more than a decade of studies on Apidae (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in eastern Sicily, carried out in natural and cultivated ecosystems at different altitudes in the Mediterranean Basal (0-1450 m a.s.l.), and Mountain-Mediterranean plans (1450-2100 m a.s.l.). Seven species are reported for the Mountain-Mediterranean plan at the highest altitude (Piano Provenzana, 1845 m, rich in endemic plants from Etna and Sicily, such as Astragalus, Rubus and Senecio): Anthophora balearica (Friese), A. retusa (L.), Apis mellifera L., Ceratina chalybea Chevrier, Epeolus julliani Peréz, Eucera aterrima Friese and Xylocopa violacea (L.). Thirty-one bee species were recorded in the Mediterranean Basal plan, with Apis mellifera and Xylocopa violacea ubiquitous and abundant in all sites surveyed. Overall, 35 species of Apidae belonging to 11 genera are reported here: Amegilla (2 species), Anthophora (6 species), Apis (1 species), Ceratina (7 species), Epeolus (1 species), Eucera (10 species), Habropoda (1 species), Melecta (1 species), Nomada (3 species), Tetraloniella (1 species), and Xylocopa (2 species). Data on the surveyed species are discussed in relation to the altitudinal level, the plants visited, and the ecological quality of the sites where the specimens were found.