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Here is a Scientific American blog-article on Hawaiian yellow-faced bees:
<br>
<a href="http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=seven-hawaiian-bees-risk-extinction-2009-03-31" eudora="autourl">
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=seven-hawaiian-bees-risk-extinction-2009-03-31</a>
<br><br>
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation last week petitioned the
U.S. Department of the Interior to protect
<a href="http://www.xerces.org/hawaiian-yellow-faced-bees/">seven
Hawaiian bee species</a> under the Endangered Species Act. All seven
species of these "yellow-faced bees" -- <i>Hylaeus
anthracinus</i>, <i>H. longiceps</i>, <i>H. assimulans</i>, <i>H.
facilis</i>, <i>H. hilaris</i>, <i>H. kuakea</i> and <i>H. mana</i> --
have seen tremendous declines since they were first observed just over a
century ago. None exist outside the Hawaiian Islands.<br><br>
The group is calling for "active management of natural areas"
to protect these species in their native habitats to prevent them from
disappearing<br><br>
“Pollinators are keystone species in many ecosystems, but these Hawaiian
yellow-faced bees are likely even more important since many
<a href="http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=hawaii--to-pay-farmers-to-grow-enda-2009-03-18">
Hawaiian native plant species</a> are not well adapted to pollination by
non-native pollinators,” Sarina Jepsen, endangered species coordinator at
the Xerces Society in Portland, Ore., said in a statement. <br><br>
The petitions were based on
<a href="http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.2984/1534-6188%282007%2961%5B173%3ACSOTEB%5D2.0.CO%3B2?cookieSet=1&journalCode=pasc">
scientific surveys</a> conducted by
<a href="http://nature.berkeley.edu/%7Emagnacca/">Karl Magnacca</a>, a
postdoctorate entomology researcher at the University of California,
Berkeley. The research attempted to assess the population of the 60 known
Hawaiian bee species. Magnacca's findings, published in the April 2007
issue of the journal <i>Pacific Science</i>:<br><br>
• Five of the 60 species still exist, but were not
collected from one or more of the islands on which they were historically
found<br>
• Seven were found to be restricted to endangered
habitat<br>
• 10 were considered to be very rare and potentially
endangered<br>
• 10 others could not be located and, according to
Magnacca's paper "could be extinct"<br><br>
According to the Xerces Society, threats facing these bees include
habitat loss (especially coastal regions) caused by human development,
wildfires, predation by invasive species (such as ants) and loss of
native vegetation to invasive species. The bees "depend on an
<a href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bee-and-flower-diversity">
intact community of native plants</a> and are mostly absent from habitats
dominated by non-native plant species," Xerces says in its
petitions. <br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
___________________________________________<br>
<font size=2><b>The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation<br>
</b></font><font size=1>The Xerces Society is an international, nonprofit
organization that <br>
protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their
<br>
habitat. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our
<br>
work, please visit <a href="http://www.xerces.org/">www.xerces.org</a>
<br><br>
Sarina Jepsen<br>
Endangered Species Coordinator<br>
4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97215<br>
tel: 503-232-6639 fax: 503-233-6794<br>
email: sarina@xerces.org<br>
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