Melipona bicolor

Melipona bicolor
M. bicolor workers in nest
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Melipona
Species:
M. bicolor
Binomial name
Melipona bicolor

Melipona bicolor Lepeletier, 1836, commonly known as Guaraipo or Guarupu, is a eusocial bee found primarily in South America. It is an inhabitant of the Araucaria Forest and the Atlantic Rainforest, and is most commonly found from South to East Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay.[2] It prefers to nest close to the soil, in hollowed trunks or roots of trees.[3] M. bicolor is a member of the tribe Meliponini, and is therefore a stingless bee. This species is unique among the stingless bees species because it is polygynous, which is rare for eusocial bees.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lepelletier, 1836 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Camargo JMF and Pedro SRM (2008). Meliponini Lepeletier, 1836. In: Catalogue of Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in the Neotropical Region (Moure JS, Urban D and Melo GAR, eds.). Available at [1] Archived 2018-09-30 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed September 21, 2015.
  3. ^ Hilario, S. D.; Imperatriz-Fonseca, V. L.; Kleinert, A. de M. P. (2000). "Flight activity and colony strength in the stingless bee Melipona bicolor bicolor (Apidae, Meliponinae)". Rev. Bras. Biol. 60 (2): 299–306. doi:10.1590/S0034-71082000000200014. PMID 10959114.
  4. ^ Hilário, S. D.; Imperatriz-Fonseca, V. L. (2009). "Pollen foraging in colonies of Melipona bicolor (Apidae, Meliponini): effects of season, colony size and queen number". Genetics and Molecular Research. 8 (2): 664–671. doi:10.4238/vol8-2kerr029. PMID 19554765.