Interaction between fungus gnats and the flowers of Lepanthes yubarta

A potentially pollinating interaction between a cultivated plant of Lepanthes yubarta E.Calderón and fungus gnats of the genus Bradysia has been observed at “El Refugio”. Males of Bradysia are attracted by the flowers of this orchid. The insects approach the flowers during the sun hours and display a pseudocopulatory behaviour, evidenced by the curving of the abdomen and the graspings of the flower with the aid of the gonostyli, either at the column or at the lip appendix. The fungus gnats are able to remove the pollinarium, and the latter can be seen hanging to one side of the abdomen´s distal portion. In spite of pollinaria removal by the fungus gnats, flowers were not pollinated.  Capsules have not formed at the only plant in cultivation, not even after hand-pollination. This fact supports the idea that the species is self-incompatible.  The forecast made by Blanco & Barboza (2005) about the existence of potentially pollinating interactions between fungus gnats and other Lepanthes species (different than L. glichensteinii) is here confirmed.

For details, see the attached PDF. This paper has been published by the magazine Orquideología 29(1): 31-34, 2012 (in spanish).