Abstract
A66: Packer, L., B. Coelho, S. Mateus and R. Zucchi. 2003. Behavioral interactions among females of Halictus (Seladonia) lanei (Moure) (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 76:34-39.
Abstract: Halictus (Seladonia) lanei (Moure) has the most extreme cephalic dimorphism, and thereby presumably also caste dimorphism, among the halictine bees. Previously known only from a few sites in Brazil, additional localities for this species are documented, including the first records for it from Bolivia, and a distribution map is provided. In order to investigate the possible social organization of this species in the absence of nest excavations, circle tube experiments were performed. In these arenas pairs of putative workers of this species generally behaved very aggressively, on average more so than any of the other halictine species studied with this apparatus. One pair, however, acted very cooperatively and perhaps they were nestmates. The circle tube behaviors are consistent with the species being eusocial, a fact also supported by the strong size dimorphism and comparisons with its sister species.