''Trigona'' is one of the largest genera of

stingless bee Stingless bees (SB), sometimes called stingless honey bees or simply meliponines, are a large group of bees (from about 462 to 552 described species), comprising the Tribe (biology), tribe Meliponini (or subtribe Meliponina according to other aut ...

s, comprising about 32 species, exclusively occurring in the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

, and formerly including many more subgenera than the present assemblage; many of these former subgenera have been elevated to generic status.Michener, C.D. (2000). The Bees of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press

Range

''Trigona'' species occur throughout the

Neotropical 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 biogeogra ...

region, including South and Central America, the Mexican lowlands, and the Caribbean islands. They can occur in forests, savannas, and man made environments. ''Trigona'' bees are active all year round, although they are less active in cool environments. Trigona caixa nordestina

Nesting

''Trigona'' nests are constructed from wax they produce and plant resins they collect. They usually nest in tree cavities and underground.

Vulture bees

Vulture bees comprise three ''Trigona'' species, and are the only bees known to be scavengers. These bees collect and feed on dead animal flesh.

Communication

Some species of ''Trigona'' bees use saliva to lay scent trails guiding nest mates to a food source. Some species of ''Trigona'' use eavesdropping which help them detect food sources being exploited by competitors.

Selected species

* '' Trigona branneri''—Mato Grosso (Brazil) * '' Trigona chanchamayoensis''—Mato Grosso (Brazil) * '' Trigona cilipes''—Americas * '' Trigona corvina'' - Central and South America * '' Trigona crassipes'' (Fabricius, 1793) * '' Trigona ferricauda''—Americas * ''

Trigona fulviventris ''Trigona fulviventris'', known by the common names ''culo-de-vaca'', ''culo-de-señora'', ''mu'ul-kab'', ''culo-de-buey'', and ''culo-de-vieja'', is a species of stingless bee found in Mexico and neotropical regions of Central and South America. ...

''—Mexico to Colombia * '' Trigona fuscipennis''—Mexico to Brasil. * '' Trigona hyalinata''—Mato Grosso (Brazil) * '' Trigona hypogea'' (Silvestri, 1902) * '' Trigona necrophaga'' (Camargo & Roubik, 1991) * '' Trigona nigerrima''—Americas (Mexico, Costa Rica) * '' Trigona nigra''—Mexico * '' Trigona pallens''—Americas * '' Trigona recursa''—Mato Grosso (Brazil) * '' Trigona silvestriana''—Americas (Costa Rica) * '' Trigona spinipes''—''arapuá'' (Brazil)

References

External links

* http://www2.biology.sc.chula.ac.th/web%20of%20NHJCU%20PDF/7-1,%2071-74.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Trigona (Genus) Bee genera Taxa named by Louis Jurine