Trigona
{{Short description|Genus of bees}}
{{For|the Greek village|Trygona}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Irapuã_-_REFON.jpg
| image_caption = Trigona spinipes
| taxon = Trigona
| authority = Jurine, 1807
| subdivision_ranks = Subgenera
| subdivision =
}}
File:Arboreal stingless bee nest (Trigona sp.) Flores.jpg
Trigona is one of the largest genera of stingless bees, comprising about 32 species,{{Cite book|publisher = Springer New York|date = 2020|isbn = 978-3-030-60089-1|first = Christoph|last = Grüter|doi = 10.1007/978-3-030-60090-7|title = Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution|series = Fascinating Life Sciences|s2cid = 227250633|url = https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-030-60090-7#toc|url-access = limited}} exclusively occurring in the New World, 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 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.
Nesting
Trigona nests are constructed from wax they produce and plant resins they collect. They usually nest in tree cavities and underground.{{cite journal | last1 = Roubik | first1 = D W. | year = 2006 | title = Stingless bee nesting biology | journal = Apidologie | volume = 37 | issue = 2| pages = 124–143 | doi=10.1051/apido:2006026| doi-access = free }}
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.{{Cite web |last=Gamillo |first=Elizabeth |date=2021-11-30 |title=Why Vulture Bees Prefer Rotting Flesh Over Pollen |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vulture-bees-have-specialized-microbiomes-that-aid-their-taste-in-meat-180979131/ |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}
Communication
Some species of Trigona bees use saliva to lay scent trails guiding nest mates to a food source.{{Cite journal|last1=Schorkopf|first1=Dirk Louis P.|last2=Jarau|first2=Stefan|last3=Francke|first3=Wittko|last4=Twele|first4=Robert|last5=Zucchi|first5=Ronaldo|last6=Hrncir|first6=Michael|last7=Schmidt|first7=Veronika M.|last8=Ayasse|first8=Manfred|last9=Barth|first9=Friedrich G.|date=2007-03-22|title=Spitting out information: Trigona bees deposit saliva to signal resource locations|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences|language=en|volume=274|issue=1611|pages=895–899|doi=10.1098/rspb.2006.3766|issn=0962-8452|pmc=2093984|pmid=17251108}} Some species of Trigona use eavesdropping which help them detect food sources being exploited by competitors.{{Cite journal|last1=Nieh|first1=James C.|last2=Barreto|first2=Lillian S.|last3=Contrera|first3=Felipe A. L.|last4=Imperatriz–Fonseca|first4=Vera L.|date=2004-08-07|title=Olfactory eavesdropping by a competitively foraging stingless bee, Trigona spinipes|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences|language=en|volume=271|issue=1548|pages=1633–1640|doi=10.1098/rspb.2004.2717|issn=0962-8452|pmc=1691773|pmid=15306311}}
Selected species
- Trigona branneri—Mato Grosso (Brazil)
{{Cite journal
|author1=Kleber França Costa |author2=Rute Magalhães Brito |author3=Carlos Suetoshi Miyazawa | year = 2004
| title = Karyotypic description of four species of Trigona (Jurine, 1807) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) from the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil
| journal = Genetics and Molecular Biology
| volume = 27
| pages = 187–190
| url = http://www.scielo.br/pdf/gmb/v27n2/a10v27n2.pdf
| issue = 2
| doi=10.1590/s1415-47572004000200010
| doi-access = free
}}
- Trigona chanchamayoensis—Mato Grosso (Brazil)
- Trigona cilipes—Americas
- Trigona corvina - Central and South America{{Cite journal|title = Notes on the Habits of Some Panamanian Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae)|jstor = 25005167|journal = Journal of the New York Entomological Society|date = 1946-09-01|pages = 179–197|volume = 54|issue = 3|first = Charles D.|last = Michener}}
- Trigona crassipes (Fabricius, 1793)
- Trigona ferricauda—Americas
- Trigona fulviventris—Mexico to Colombia
- Trigona fuscipennis—Mexico to Brasil.
{{Cite thesis | degree = masters
| first = Z. V. S. | last = Tarelho* Trigona fulviventris—Mexico
| title = Contribuição ao estudo citogenético dos Apoidea
| year = 1973
| publisher = University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto
}}
- 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)
{{Cite journal
| author = Brito and Pompolo
| title = C:G patterns and fluorochrome staining with DAPI and CMA3, in Trigona spinipes (Jurine, 1807) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae)
| year = 1997
| journal = Brazilian Journal of Genetics
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- http://www2.biology.sc.chula.ac.th/web%20of%20NHJCU%20PDF/7-1,%2071-74.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006013544/http://www2.biology.sc.chula.ac.th/web%20of%20NHJCU%20PDF/7-1,%2071-74.pdf |date=2011-10-06 }}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1938037}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trigona (Genus)}}