''Melipona'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the
Neotropic
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bioge ...
s, from
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
and
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...
(México) to
Tucumán and
Misiones
Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes P ...
(Argentina). About 70
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
are known.
[Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution''. ''Springer Nature'', 385 pp.] The largest producer of honey from ''Melipona'' bees in Mexico is in the state of
Yucatán where bees are studied at an interactive park called "Bee Planet" which is within the
Cuxtal Ecological Reserve.
Several species are kept for
honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
production, such as in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, where some are well-known enough to have common names, including ''uruçu'', ''mandaçaia'', ''jandaíra'', and ''manduri''. ''Melipona'' honey has long been used by humans and now is of minor commercial importance. Research is going on in improved beekeeping techniques.
The Melipona bee is the only pollinator known to pollinate the
vanilla
Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia'').
Pollination is required to make the p ...
plant.
Pollination
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds ...
by Melipona bee has only occurred in Mexico and almost all vanilla for commercial production is hand pollinated.
Subtaxa
The following are some proposed
subtaxa of ''Melipona'', although they are not yet widely used.
* ''
Eomelipona''
* ''
Melikerria''
* ''Melipona'' (''
sensu stricto
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...
'')
* ''
Michmelia''
Selected taxa
The genus includes the following species:
* ''
Melipona amazonica''
(Schulz, 1905)
* ''
Melipona asilvai''
( Moure, 1971)
* ''
Melipona baeri''
(Vachal, 1904)
* ''
Melipona beecheii''
(Bennett, 1831)
* ''
Melipona belizeae''
(Schwarz, 1932)
* ''
Melipona bicolor
''Melipona bicolor'' , 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, Bol ...
''
(Lepeletier, 1836) –'' guarupu, guaraipo''
* ''
Melipona boliviana''
(Schwarz, 1932)
* ''
Melipona brachychaeta''
(Moure, 1950)
* ''
Melipona bradleyi''
(Schwarz, 1932) (Melipona illustris (Schwarz, 1932))
* ''
Melipona capixaba''
(Moure & Camargo, 1995)
* ''
Melipona captiosa''
(Moure, 1962)
* ''
Melipona carrikeri
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Cockerell, 1919)
* ''
Melipona colimana''
(Ayala, 1999)
* ''
Melipona compressipes''
(Fabricius, 1804) – ''tiúba''
** ''Melipona compressipes manaosensis'' – ''jupará''
* ''
Melipona costaricaensis''
(Cockerell, 1919)
* ''
Melipona cramptoni''
(Cockerell, 1920)
* ''
Melipona crinita''
(Moure & Kerr, 1950)
* ''
Melipona dubia
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Moure & Kerr, 1950)
* ''
Melipona eburnea''
(Friese, 1900)
* ''
Melipona fasciata
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, E ...
''
(Latreille, 1811)
* ''
Melipona fasciculata''
(Smith, 1854)
* ''
Melipona favosa''
(Fabricius, 1798)
* ''
Melipona fuliginosa
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Lepeletier, 1836)
* ''
Melipona flavolineata''
(Friese, 1900)
* ''
Melipona fulva''
(Lepeletier, 1836)
* ''
Melipona fuscata
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Lepeletier, 1836)
* ''
Melipona fuscopilosa''
(Moure & Kerr, 1950)
* ''
Melipona fuscipes
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Latreille, 1811)
* ''
Melipona grandis''
(Guérin-Méneville, 1844)
* ''
Melipona illota
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Cockerell, 1919)
* ''
Melipona indecisa''
(Cockerell, 1919)
* ''
Melipona interrupta''
(Latreille, 1811) – ''jandaíra''
* ''
Melipona lateralis
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, E ...
''
(Erichson, 1848)
* ''
Melipona lupitae
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Ayala, 1999)
* ''
Melipona mandacaia''
(Smith, 1863)
* ''
Melipona marginata
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Lepeletier, 1836) – ''manduri, manduri menor, mandurim, minduri, gurupu-do-miúdo, taipeira''
* ''
Melipona melanopleura
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, E ...
''
(Cockerell, 1919)
* ''
Melipona melanoventer''
(Schwarz, 1932)
* ''
Melipona merrillae''
(Cockerell, 1919)
* ''
Melipona micheneri''
(Schwarz, 1951)
* ''
Melipona mimetica
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Cockerell, 1914)
* ''
Melipona mondury''
(Smith, 1863)
* ''
Melipona nebulosa
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Camargo, 1988)
* ''
Melipona nigrescens''
(Friese, 1900)
* ''
Melipona obscurior
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Moure, 1971)
* ''
Melipona ogilviei''
(Schwarz, 1932)
* ''
Melipona orbignyi
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Guérin-Méneville, 1844)
* ''
Melipona panamica''
(Cockerell, 1919)
* ''
Melipona paraensis
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, E ...
''
(Ducke, 1916)
* ''
Melipona peruviana''
(Friese, 1900)
* ''
Melipona puncticollis''
(Friese, 1902)
* ''
Melipona quadrifasciata''
(Lepeletier, 1836) – ''mandaçaia, amanaçaia, manaçaia, "uruçu"''
** ''M. q. anthidioides''
* ''
Melipona quinquefasciata
''Melipona quinquefasciata'', commonly known as the mandaçaia-da-terra or mandaçaia-do-chão (Brazilian Portuguese: "ground mandaçaia" bee) in Brazil, is a species of eusocial stingless bee in the family Apidae and tribe Meliponini
Stingles ...
''
(Lepeletier, 1836) – ''mandaçaia-da-terra, mandaçaia-do-chão, uruçu-do-chão''
* ''
Melipona rufescens''
(Friese, 1900 )
* ''
Melipona ruficrus'' – ''irapuá
* ''
Melipona rufiventris
''Melipona rufiventris'', commonly known as tujuba in Brazil, is a species of eusocial stingless bee in the family Apidae and tribe Meliponini
Stingless bees, sometimes called stingless honey bees or simply meliponines, are a large group of be ...
''
(Lepeletier, 1836) – ''uruçu-amarela, tuiuva, tujuba, bugia''
** ''M. r. paraensis'' – ''uruçu-boca-de-ralo
* ''
Melipona salti''
(Schwarz, 1932)
* ''
Melipona schwarzi
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Moure, 1963)
* ''
Melipona scutellaris
''Melipona scutellaris'' is a Eusociality, eusocial stingless bee species of the order Hymenoptera and the genus ''Melipona''. It is considered to be the reared ''Melipona'' species with the largest distribution in the North and Northeast regions ...
''
(Latreille, 1811) – ''uruçu-nordestina, "uruçu"''
* ''
Melipona seminigra
''Melipona seminigra'', commonly known as uruçu-boca-de-renda (literally "laced-mouth uruçu" bee in Brazilian Portuguese), is a species of eusocial stingless bee in the family Apidae and tribe Meliponini
Stingless bees, sometimes called stin ...
''
(Friese, 1903)
** ''M. s. atrofulva''
** ''M. s. abunensis''
** ''M. s. merrillae'' – ''boca-de-renda''
** ''M. s. pernigra''
* ''
Melipona solani''
(Cockerell, 1912)
* ''
Melipona subnitida''
(Ducke, 1911) – ''jandaíra''
* ''
Melipona titania''
(Gribodo, 1893)
* ''
Melipona torrida
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Friese, 1917)
* ''
Melipona triplaridis''
(Cockerell, 1925)
* ''
Melipona tumupasae
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Schwarz, 1932)
* ''
Melipona variegatipes''
(Gribodo, 1893)
** ''M. v. lautipes''
* ''
Melipona yucatanica
''Melipona'' is a genus of stingless bees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina). About 70 species are known.Grüter, C. 2020. ''Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ec ...
''
(Camargo, Moure & Roubik, 1988)
See also
*
Stingless bee
*
List of stingless bees of Brazil
*
Melittology
*
Bees and toxic chemicals
Bees can suffer serious effects from toxic chemicals in their environments. These include various synthetic chemicals, particularly insecticides, as well as a variety of naturally occurring chemicals from plants, such as ethanol resulting from ...
* ''
Trigona'', another genus of stingless bees
References
{{Authority control
Bee genera
Orchid pollinators
Taxa named by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger