Population structure and genetic diversity of the orchid bee Eufriesea violacea (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossini) from Atlantic Forest remnants in southern and southeastern Brazil

In this study, both the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of Eufriesea violacea from six Atlantic Forest fragments, located in four Brazilian states, were assessed using microsatellite markers. The results showed that genetic diversity was high in all populations and the genetic differentiation (ΦST), based on allelic frequency differences, for all population pairwise comparisons was found to be significantly different from zero, indicating from low to moderate genetic differentiation among populations. Considerably higher genetic differentiation values were revealed by the Dest estimator, indicating very high levels of differentiation for some pairs of populations. The present results on the population structure of E. violacea suggest a restriction in gene flow among populations from different Atlantic Forest remnants. Thus, considering the intense threats over the current Atlantic Forest remnants, more attention should be paid to populations of this euglossine species.