LANKESTERIANA5(2):161. 2005.


 BOOK REVIEW / RESENA DE LIBRO


 A DIFFERENT SORT OF "FIELD GUIDE":
DAVID W. ROUBIK AND PAUL E. HANSON, ORCHID BEES OF TROPICAL AMERICA, BIOLOGY
 AND FIELD GUIDE, INBlo, 2004. editorial@inbio.ac.cr


The pollination of orchids by euglossine bees was
observed by Criger in Trinidad, and his observations
were discussed by Darwin in the second edition of
his well-known book on orchid pollination. At that
time, no one had any idea that there was a system of
pollination involving more than 150 species of bees
and many orchids, some aroids, gesneriads and other
plant families, in which the perfume was both the
attractant and the reward, and the pollinators were
male bees, probably using their mix of perfumes to
demonstrate their genetic quality to the females.

 Not only did this system permit the remarkable
mechanisms of such orchids as Catasetum, Coryanthes
and Gongora, but the euglossine bees include five
genera of bees of various sizes with relatively to
incredibly long mouthparts and striking metallic
colors, are involved in mimicry both Mullerian and
Batesian (the sting of a large female is not soon
forgotten), nest parasitism, diverse nest architecture
and some approach to the complex social organization
of the honeybees and their close relatives.

Paul Allen later made important observations of
pollination by Euglossa, showing that the perfume
was a critical element, and then Dodson and his
associates identified many of the chemical elements
in the perfumes, so that one could attract male
euglossines by chemical baits, greatly increasing our
sample of bees, and, by collecting the bees with orchid
pollinaria, learning much more about the relationships
between bees and orchids.

There are still a few specimens of Euglossa ignita
from Colon Province, Panama, with pollinaria of what


must be an undescribed species of Sievekingia, but
we still know the Sievekingia only from its pollinaria.
At this point, it is still difficult to identify Euglossa
from much of South America, and in too many cases,
we cannot be sure how to associate the females with
conspecific males. In Costa Rica and Panama, we can
confidently identify any euglossine bee that is likely to
be found there, we know much more about the nests
and the foraging behavior, and we can associate the
females with the males, either because we have had
both emerge from the same nest or by comparison and
elimination.

Roubik and Hanson have produced an excellent book
on the biology and field guide. The book is bilingual,
and covers all of the euglossine species of Mexico
and Central America. There are many excellent
photographs of the bees in the field. I must point out,
though, that the "Catasetum" pollinaria in Figures 7b
and 7c are Stanhopea, the "Gongora" pollinarium
in Figure 7e is Coryanthes, and I am a bit skeptical
about the "Peristeria" in Figure 7f (I sincerely hope
this plate was not included in the copy that I read for
"Revision cientifica").

 Each species is illustrated by color photos of the
most important details (face and hind tibia). With
this beautifully prepared book, one should be able to
identify any euglossine bee encountered in Central
America. Now there is increasing interest in the use
of chemical baits to compare different habitats or
different systems of agriculture. With this book in
hand, students will be well prepared to undertake these
and many other studies, and visitors can be introduced
to a fascinating aspect of tropical American forests.

 Robert L. Dressler
 Jardin Botanico Lankester,
 Universidad de Costa Rica