AUTHOR=Dorey James B. , Davies Olivia K. , Magnacca Karl N. , Schwarz Michael P. , Gilpin Amy-Marie , Ramage Thibault , Tuiwawa Marika , Groom Scott V. C. , Stevens Mark I. , Parslow Ben A. 

TITLE=Canopy specialist Hylaeus bees highlight sampling biases and resolve Michener’s mystery

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2024.1339446

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2024.1339446

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>Large parts of the Pacific were thought to host low bee diversity. In Fiji alone, our recent estimates of native bee diversity have rapidly increased by a factor of five (from 4 to &gt;22). Here, we show how including sampling of the forest canopy has quickly uncovered a new radiation of <italic>Hylaeus</italic> (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) bees in Fiji. We also show that <italic>Hylaeus</italic> are more common across the Pacific than previously thought and solve one of Charles Michener’s mysteries by linking the previously enigmatic French Polynesian <italic>Hylaeus tuamotuensis</italic> to relatives in Fiji. We use systematic techniques to describe eight new <italic>Hylaeus</italic> species in Fiji (<italic>n</italic> = 6), French Polynesia (<italic>n</italic> = 1), and Micronesia (<italic>n</italic> = 1), and discuss impressive dispersal events by this genus. These clades also double the number of <italic>Hylaeus</italic> dispersals out of Australia from two to four. Our discovery highlights the severe impact of bee sampling methods on ecological interpretations and species discovery, specifically that canopy sampling is needed to correctly assess forest bee diversity even where there is a very long record of sampling. It further highlights the potential for forests to host higher-than-anticipated diversity and conservation value. This has broad methodological and regulatory impacts for land managers seeking to make choices about pollination services and diversity. The new species are <italic>Hylaeus (Euprosopoides) chuukensis</italic> Dorey, Davies, and Parslow; <italic>H. (Prosopisteron) albaeus</italic> Dorey, Davies, and Parslow; <italic>H. (P.) apertus</italic> Dorey, Davies, and Parslow; <italic>H. (P.) aureaviridis</italic> Dorey, Magnacca, and Parslow; <italic>H. (P.) breviflavus</italic> Magnacca; <italic>H. (P.) derectus</italic> Dorey, Davies, and Parslow; <italic>H. (P.) navai</italic> Dorey, Davies, and Parslow; and <italic>H. (P.) veli</italic> Dorey, Davies, and Parslow.</p>