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João Loureiro, Hugo Gaspar e Sílvia Castro © DR
Hugo Gaspar, Sílvia Castro, and João Loureiro, researchers from the TERRA Associate Laboratory, have produced the technical book “Chaves Dicotómicas dos Géneros de Abelhas de Portugal” (Dichotomous Keys to the Genera of Bees in Portugal), the first of its kind in Portuguese. This essential guide for identifying pollinators is now available for free download.
“Chaves Dicotómicas dos Géneros de Abelhas de Portugal. Hymenoptera: Anthophila” is a pioneering work developed within the framework of the PolinizAÇÃO and EPIC-Bee projects, supported by the Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra. This resource, available for free download, marks a milestone in entomological studies in Portugal, being the first technical guide in Portuguese dedicated to the identification of bee genera in the country.
It is an adaptation and translation of the work Key to the Genera of European Bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila), aimed at making knowledge more accessible to the national academic and technical community. The book is particularly intended for researchers, students, and all those interested in biodiversity and pollinator conservation.
The production of this work involved researchers from the FLOWer Lab of the Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE) and the Department of Life Sciences (DCV) at FCTUC, namely Hugo Gaspar, Sílvia Castro, and João Loureiro – researchers from the TERRA Associate Laboratory – who highlight the importance of this work for advancing scientific knowledge in the country. According to Hugo Gaspar, “this book fills a decades-long gap in the study of wild bees in Portugal, updating the knowledge and making it accessible to the national community.”
The book offers detailed, illustrated dichotomous keys for the identification of bee genera, a crucial tool for researchers dedicated to pollinator conservation, as well as for students and naturalists. For Sílvia Castro, “correct identification is the first step in understanding and protecting pollinators, which are essential for maintaining ecosystems and food security.”
The work also benefited from contributions from researchers at the University of Coimbra, the University of Porto, and the University of Mons, Belgium. The production of the book was supported by several European projects, including SPRING and ORBIT, as well as national partnerships, such as the PolinizAÇÃO project.
The book is available for free download in the catalog of the Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, reinforcing the commitment to democratizing access to scientific knowledge and promoting biodiversity conservation.
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DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0092/2020
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DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0092/2020