Morphological Notes and Floral Associations of Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the Benghazi Coastal Plain (Benghazi–Deryana–Tokera), Eastern Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54172/0kz7wn67Keywords:
Apidae, Bee diversity, Floral visitation, Pollinator-plant interactions, Benghazi, Coastal ecologyAbstract
Bees of the family Apidae are essential pollinators, yet faunistic data regarding their coastal populations in Libya remain limited. This study aimed to survey the diversity and floral visitation patterns of Apidae in the coastal areas of Benghazi, specifically Deryana and Tokera. Field surveys were conducted over a one-year period from January 2022 to January 2023. Bee specimens were collected, described, and identified to the species level using standard family-level and species-specific taxonomic keys. A total of five bee species were identified: Anthophora oraniensis (Lepeletier, 1841), Anthophora bimaculata (Panzer, 1798), Amegilla albegina (Lepeletier, 1841), Xylocopa pubescens Spinola, 1838, and Ammobates oraniensis (Lepeletier, 1841). Ecological observations revealed that these bee species actively foraged on flowering plants belonging to three distinct families: Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, and Geraniaceae. These findings provide updated baseline data on the apid bee fauna and highlight key plant-pollinator interactions in the Benghazi coastal region, which is crucial for local biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.
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