Larval food sources of Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius, 1804) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), an oil-collecting bee

Pollen analysis of larval food allows identification of plants used as nest provision sources. Considering the importance of Centris analis in pollination, we aimed to identify its plant sources, food niche width in Cerrado, and analyze the use of sources between cool/dry and warm/wet seasons. We sampled 22 nests collected in two areas from February 2008 to October 2009. Heteropterys spp. (Malpighiaceae) were the main pollen sources, but Byrsomia spp. (Malpighiaceae), Banisteriopsis malifolia (Malpighiaceae), Solanum lycocarpum (Solanaceae) and Machaerium spp. (Leguminosae) were also important food sources. There was no difference in the use of the sources between the seasons (F-1,F-100 = 0.001; p = 0.979). Despite the high number of pollen types (n = 14) the food niche widths were low, H = 0.777 and H = 0.949, which can be explained by the dominance of some food items. Hence, C. analis use, profusely, a few plants as food sources that could be considered conservation targets.