Assessment of intestinal parasites in the coexisting Bombus terrestris (Apidae) and Xylocopa augusti (Apidae) in central Chile
Author
dc.contributor.author
Fernández, Kiara
Author
dc.contributor.author
Alcaíno Gorman, Jennifer
Author
dc.contributor.author
Sepúlveda, Dionisia
Author
dc.contributor.author
Medel Contreras, Rodrigo
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2021-03-26T22:25:03Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2021-03-26T22:25:03Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
2020
Cita de ítem
dc.identifier.citation
Revista Chilena de Historia Natural (2020) 93:1
es_ES
Identifier
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10.1186/s40693-020-00096-7
Identifier
dc.identifier.uri
https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/178823
Abstract
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Bombus terrestris is a European bumblebee extensively commercialized worldwide for crop pollination. In Chile, this species was introduced in 1997 and after confinement escape, it has spread and established in several localities of central-southern Chile and in the Argentine Patagonia. The South American carpenter bee Xylocopa augusti, in turn, has been recently reported in central Chile, and as B. terrestris, this species has become increasingly common, often found in sympatry with B. terrestris in some localities. While intestinal parasites such as the flagellate trypanosome Crithidia bombi, the microsporidium Nosema bombi, and the neogregarine protozoan Apicystis bombi, show high levels of specialization on the Bombus genus, parasites often increase their host range, especially after invading novel habitats, hence creating new infection disease scenarios. In this work, we used molecular techniques to detect the presence of the intestinal pathogens of B. terrestris in coexisting X. augusti from different localities in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. Our results revealed the presence of the three pathogens in B. terrestris only, with population prevalence broadly similar to that reported in other studies. The carpenter bee X. augusti did not show evidence of any of the three parasites examined, indicating that this invader species is not recipient of any of the parasite species present in B. terrestris.