Schwarziana quadripunctata

Schwarziana quadripunctata
Schwarziana quadripunctata at the nest
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Schwarziana
Species:
S. quadripunctata
Binomial name
Schwarziana quadripunctata
(Lepeletier, 1836)
Distribution of S. quadripunctata

Schwarziana quadripunctata is a small, stingless bee found in a stretch of the South American Amazon[dubiousdiscuss] from Goiás, Brazil, through Paraguay, to Misiones, Argentina.[1] This highly eusocial insect constructs earthen nests in the subterranean level of the subtropical environment, an unusual feature among other stingless bees. The species ranges in sizes from 6.0 to 7.5 millimetres (14 to 932 in) and feeds on a diverse diet of flowering plants found abundantly on the forest floor, including guacatonga (Casearia sylvestris) and the mistletoe species Struthanthus concinnus.[2]

  1. ^ Michener, C.D. (2007). The Bees of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  2. ^ Wilms, Wolfgang; Imperatriz-Fonseca, Vera L.; Engels, Wolf (1996). "Resource Partitioning between Highly Eusocial Bees and Possible Impact of the Introduced Africanized Honey Bee on Native Stingless Bees in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest" (PDF). Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 31 (3–4): 137–151. doi:10.1076/snfe.31.3.137.13336.