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5 January 2025 Floral Visitors of the Golden Rain Tree, Cassia fistula (Fabaceae), in Campeche, Mexico
Maximiliano Vanoye Eligio, Blanca del Rosario Martín Canché, María del Carmen Gómez Camal, Felix Alejandra Luna Medina, Paula Viveros Moreno, Ludwin Jaime Estrada Ramírez
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Abstract

Cassia fistula L., known as the golden rain tree, is a flowering tree that is native to Asia but is used as an ornamental plant in public and private gardens in many areas of Mexico. It is also important for its antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, phytochemical, and medicinal properties. In this study, floral visitors of C. fistula were identified in the urban area of Escarcega, Campeche, Mexico in three public gardens during the month of May using entomologic nets. The insects were preserved with 70% alcohol, transported to the laboratory, and identified to species level using taxonomic keys. In total, 124 insects were collected representing 8 species belonging to 7 genera. Of those insects collected, Trigona fulviventris Guérin-Méneville and Trigona silvestriana Vachal (Hymenoptera: Apidae) were the most abundant, accounting for almost 50% of the total specimens collected. Previous reports list 32 species of insects as floral visitors of C. fistula in Mexico. Our study adds six species to that list that had not been previously recorded: Epicharis elegans Smith, Eulaema polychroma (Mocsáry), Melipona sp., T. silvestriana, and Xylocopa latipes (Drury), which are all members of the family Apidae (order Hymenoptera), and Parachartergus apicalis (F.), a vespid (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).

Maximiliano Vanoye Eligio, Blanca del Rosario Martín Canché, María del Carmen Gómez Camal, Felix Alejandra Luna Medina, Paula Viveros Moreno, and Ludwin Jaime Estrada Ramírez "Floral Visitors of the Golden Rain Tree, Cassia fistula (Fabaceae), in Campeche, Mexico," Journal of Entomological Science 60(1), 51-58, (5 January 2025). https://doi.org/10.18474/JES23-106
Received: 18 December 2023; Accepted: 11 January 2024; Published: 5 January 2025
KEYWORDS
Campeche
Cassia fistula
floral visitors
pollinators
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