The apifauna and the bee flowers in the Serra Geral range Insanta Catarina State, Southern Brazil

Aiming to verify the diversity of bees and the visited flora in a protected zone of southern Brazil, on the Serra Geral mountain range, in Santa Catarina State (SC), situated in temperate climate, sampling collection was carried out with entomological nets on flowering plants in araucaria forests, during the period 2010-2012. We counted 74 species of bees belonging to the Colletidae, Andrenidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae and Apidae families, with 1,056 sampling hours and 2,208 verified individuals. New occurrences were recorded for SC (Anthrenoides petuniae, Anthrenoides politus, Ceratina (Crewella) rupestris, Halictillus loureiroi, Hexantheda missionica, Megachile (Moureapis) nigropilosa, Megachile (Pseudocentron) framea, Megommation insigne, Thygater chaetaspis) and for Brazil (Lophopedia nigrispinnis, Paroxystoglossa brachycera, Psaenythia collaris). One species with restricted occurrence in SC was found (Ptilothrix relata) as well as a threatened species (Bombus bellicosus). Apis mellifera, an exotic species, accounted for 57.6 1% of the sampled individuals. The bee species visited 172 botanical species, of 50 botanical families. The evaluated network measurements reveal a diversified web and a system with asymmetric interactions, with a predominance of general relations. The results obtained by this census unveal the extant bee communities and their structure, which can support the maintenance of the araucaria forest, a threatened environment.