%0 Journal Article
%T A casual cantharophily: The meeting between Astylus variegatus (Coleoptera: Myleridae) and Oxypetalum banksii (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae)
%A Vieira
%A Milene
%A Fonseca
%A R¨˛bia
%J Journal of Pollination Ecology
%D 2011
%I Enviroquest Ltd.
%X Cantharophily is reported for the first time in a Brazilian asclepiad, involving the mylerid Astylus variegatus and the nectariferous flowers of Oxypetalum banksii, a plant mainly pollinated by wasps. The use of nectar as food by A. variegatus, considered pollinivorous and granivorous, is also novel. The mutual interaction described here is an example of a plant-pollinator interaction with generalist insects visiting a plant with a specialized pollination system. ItĄ¯s also temporary and occasional and, therefore, is often overlooked in studies of plant-pollinator interactions. In this study, we found that the casual meeting between O. banksii and A. variegatus was a key event for the reproduction of both.
%K Asclepiad
%K Atlantic Forest
%K Brazil
%K beetles
%K specialized pollination
%K wasps
%U http://www.pollinationecology.org/index.php?journal=jpe&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=113&path%5B%5D=18