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The is part of the pollinator data that is being mobilized from farmers’ fields in Malawi. The data mobilization exercise is led by Dr Trust Kasambala Donga (a senior lecturer in entomology) of Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) in Malawi. The work is funded by JRS Biodiversity Foundation. This dataset is from Lilongwe district in central Malawi. Data collectors were agronomy graduates and were supervised by Mr Mrs Yolice Tembo (Entomologist). All pollinators were collected following Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Protocol to Detect and Monitor Pollinator Communities Guidance for Practitioners¹. All data were collected between March 1 and December 2020.

Purpose:

1. Increase access to Malawi’s biological diversity
2. Fill in taxonomic gaps in pollinator occurrence and diversity in Malawi
3. Fill in gaps in pollinator distribution
4. Assist in identification of pollinators of Malawi
5. Help entomologists, conservation workers and policy makers to elucidate the impact of farmer practices on pollinator occurrence and diversity

Temporal Scope:

This summary provides metadata for the insects collected from 1 agroecological zone of Malawi: a medium altitude and moderate rainfall area with sparse vegetation cover represented by Chitekwere and surrounding areas in Blantyre District in central Malawi. The data was collected from 12 farms. These farms are under smallholder farmer management. This is only a subset of data that has been collected from these two areas.

Taxonomic scope:

In this dataset, there are a total of 93 insect data including bees, wasps and flies. Note that most insects have only been identified to family level. Only specimens belonging to the genus Apis has been identified to species level.

Methodology:

We used sweep nets to collect insect specimens following FAO guidelines¹. Farm data was collected using ODK mobile app. The ODK forms were developed by Dr Chikondi Makwiza. The insects were collected from pigeon pea fields. All insect specimens except butterflies and moths were stored in 70% alcohol at 4 degrees Celsius until they were processed (pinned and dried) in the entomology laboratory at LUANAR’s Bunda College Campus. All specimens were curated by Mrs Aubrey Kaphukusi and Herbert Folias and Miss Chimwemwe Mvula using standard protocols¹. The insects were identified by Miss Kelita Phambala using several published references^2-13. All specimens identified to species level were digitized by Mrs Rabecca Mwale-Kuyaka. Data was extracted from ODK, cleaned and analysed by Dr Chikondi Makwiza, Mr Gift Chawanda and Miss Rabecca Mwale-Kuyaka. The All voucher specimens are stored at Bunda College Campus in Lilongwe.

 

Bibliography:

1. FAO, 2016. Protocol to Detect and Monitor Pollinator  Communities  Guidance for Practitionershttp://www.fao.org/3/i5367e/i5367e.pdf
2. Bryan N Danforth, Connal Eardley, Laurence Packer, Kenneth Walker, Alain Pauly, Fano José Randrianambinintsoa, 2008. Phylogeny of Halictidae with an emphasis on endemic African Halictinae. Apidologie 39 (1), 86-101
3. C Eardley, R Urban, 2010. Catalogue of Afrotropical bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apiformes) Zootaxa 2455 (1), 1-548
4. Key to the Bee Families of the World published by Laurence Parker and Claudia Ratti of York University (Key to the Bee Families of the World (yorku.ca),
5. D Michez, C Eardley, 2007. Monographic revision of the bee genus Melitta Kirby 1802 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Melittidae). Annales de la Société entomologique de France 43 (4), 379-440
6. C Eardley, M Kuhlmann, A Pauly, 2010. The bee genera and subgenera of sub-Saharan Africa Belgian Development Cooperation.
7. Key to  the Apis species of the world, http://www.atlashymenoptera.net/page.aspx?id=238
8. Key to the Megachilidae genera of the world, http://idtools.org/id/bees/exotic/key_mega.php
9. Key to the Anthidium subgenera of the world
10. Key to the Osmia subgenera of the world
11. Key to the Osmia (Osmia) species of the world
12. https://idtools.org/id/bees/exotic/keys.php
13. CD Eardley, 2004.  Taxonomic revision of the African stingless bees (Apoidea: apidae: apinae: meliponini)  African plant protection 10 (2), 63-96.

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