Pollination by a hugging mechanism inVigna vexillata (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) |
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| Authors: | Ingemar Hedström Mats Thulin |
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| Affiliation: | (1) Museo de Insectos, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica;(2) Department of Zoology, Section of Entomology, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 561, S-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden;(3) Department of Systematic Botany, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 541, S-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | The pollination ofVigna vexillata (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) by a carpenter bee,Xylocopa gualanensis (Hymenoptera-Anthophoridae) was studied in a secondary vegetation in Costa Rica. The bees were observed foraging onV. vexillata only in early mornings. Visits on individual flowers lasted about 7–8 seconds. Flower—pollen vector interactions are described and illustrated. By its pressure on the left-hand wing- and keel-petal in the asymmetrical flower, the weight of the bee causes the upper bearded part of the style along with the upper free parts of the stamens to slip out of the rigid keel-beak,  hugging the bee over the dorsal part of its head and thorax. The occurrence of nototribic pollination inVigna and related genera is discussed. |
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| Keywords: | Angiosperms Leguminosae-Papilionoideae Vigna V. vexillata Hymenoptera-Anthophoridae Xylocopa Pollination Flora of Costa Rica |
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