Diagnóstico de diversidade e abundância de visitantes florais de Hancornia Speciosa Gomes em um assentamento agroextrativista em Pirambu, Sergipe

Abstract

The mangaba tree (Hancornia speciosa Gomes) is a medium-sized tree native to Brazil, whose fruits are predominantly managed through extractive practices and have great socioeconomic importance, being used for the production of pulps, jams, liqueurs, ice cream, and savory snacks, in addition to being sold fresh. Real estate expansion and land use for agriculture and livestock farming have reduced the natural areas of mangaba trees in coastal restingas, impacting the population structure of their pollinators. This study aimed to investigate the floral visitors of Hancornia speciosa Gomes in an area of natural occurrence of the species, located in an agro-extractive settlement in the village of Alagamar, municipality of Pirambu, Sergipe. The research was conducted in December 2023, with records made at three different times (5 pm, 12 am, and 5 am), considering the anthesis period of the flowers. Manual counters were used to monitor the number of flowers and visitors in 12 mother plants, during 5-minute periods and under favorable weather conditions. Floral visitors were collected using entomological nets and Falcon jars, and the material was taken to the Forest Entomology Laboratory of the Federal University of Sergipe for identification. Forty-one floral visitors were observed, of which 27 were collected, including 2 bumblebees (Bombus sp.), 7 individuals of the species Apis mellifera L., 5 individuals of the species Trigona spinipes, 5 representatives of the superfamily Apoidea (Hymenoptera), 9 wasps (Vespidae, Hymenoptera), 8 moths from the families Geometridae and Crambidae (Lepidoptera), 5 butterflies from the families Hesperiidae, Nymphalidae and Pieridae (Lepidoptera), and 5 flies from the families Moscidae and Calliphoridae (Diptera). Wasps and moths were the most abundant visitors, representing 27% and 20% of the total observed, respectively. Palpita vitrealis was the most frequent species. Moths acted as exclusive nocturnal pollinators, while other groups were present during twilight and in the morning. Diversity was considered low to moderate (H’=0.98785<1), with a predominance of some dominant species in certain matrices, especially in more open and anthropized areas. A strong positive correlation was observed between the number of flowers and the number of visitors, indicating that floral availability directly influences visitation activity. The results suggest that vegetation fragmentation and low environmental heterogeneity may be limiting the diversity and abundance of effective pollinators of H. speciosa in the studied area.