Skip to main content
Log in

First discovery of a rare polygyne colony in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata (Apidae, Meliponini)

  • Scientific Note
  • Published:
Apidologie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

References

  • Alves D.A., Imperatriz-Fonseca V.L., Francoy T.M., Santos Filho P.S., Nogueira Neto P., Billen J., Wenseleers T. (2009) The queen is dead - long live the workers: intraspecific parasitism by workers in the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris, Mol. Ecol. 18, 4102–4111.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bego L.R. (1989) Behavioral interactions among queens of the polygynic stingless bee, Melipona bicolor bicolor Lepeletier (Hymenoptera, Apidae), Braz. J. Med. Biol. Res. 22, 587–596.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourke A.F.G., Ratnieks F.L.W. (1999) Kin conflict over caste determination in social Hymenoptera, Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 46, 287–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho-Zilse G., Kerr W. (2004) Substituição natural de rainhas fisogástricas e distancia de vôo dos machos em Tiuba (Melipona compressipes fasciculata Smith, 1854) e Uruçu (Melipona scutellaris Latreille, 1811) (Apidae, Meliponini), Acta Amazonica 34, 649–652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy O.J., Vekemans J. (2002) SPAGeDI: a versatile computer program to analyse spatial genetic structure at the individual or population levels, Mol. Ecol. Notes 2, 618–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerr W.E. (1969) Some aspects of the evolution of social bees (Apidae), Evolutionary Biology, Vol. 3, Appleton- Century Crofts, New York, pp. 119–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koedam D., Monge I.A., Sommeijer M.J. (1995) Social interactions of gynes and their longevity in queenright colonies of Melipona favosa (Apidae: Meliponinae), Neth. J. Zool. 45, 480–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopes D.M., Silva F.O.D., Salomao T.M.F., Campos L.A.D.O., Tavares M.G. (2009) Microsatellite loci for the stingless bee Melipona rufiventris (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Mol. Ecol. Res. 9, 923–925.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer K.A., Oldroyd B.P., Quezada-Euan J.J.G., Paxton R.J., May-Itza W.D.J. (2002) Paternity frequency and maternity of males in some stingless bee species, Mol. Ecol. 11, 2107–2113.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pamilo P. (1991) Evolution of colony characteristics in social insects. II. Number of reproductive individuals, Am. Nat. 138, 412–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pamilo P., Crozier R.H. (1996) Reproductive skew simplified, Oikos 75, 533–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paxton R.J., Weissschuh N., Quezada-Euan J.J.G. (1999) Characterization of dinucleotide microsatellite loci for stingless bees, Mol. Ecol. 8, 690–692.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peters J.M., Queller D.C., Fonseca V.L.I., Strassmann J.E. (1998) Microsatellite loci for stingless bees, Mol. Ecol. 7, 784–787.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peters J.M., Queller D.C., Imperatriz-Fonseca V.L., Roubik D.W., Strassmann J.E. (1999) Mate number, kin selection and social conflicts in stingless bees and honeybees, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B, Biol. Sci. 266, 379–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Queller D.C., Goodnight K.F. (1989) Estimating relatedness using genetic markers, Evolution 43, 258–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos Filho P.S., Alves D.A., Eterovic A., Imperatriz-Fonseca V.L., Kleinert A.M.P. (2006) Numerical investment in sex and caste by stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini): a comparative analysis, Apidologie 37, 207–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva D.L.N. (1972) Considerações em torno de um caso de substituiçao de rainha em Plebeia (Plebeia) droryana, in: Cruz-Landim C. (Ed.), Homenagem a W.E. Kerr, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.

    Google Scholar 

  • Velthuis H.H.W., Vries H.D., Imperatriz-Fonseca V.L. (2006) The polygyny of Melipona bicolor: scramble competition among queens, Apidologie 37, 222–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenseleers T., Hart A.G., Ratnieks F.L.W., Quezada-Euan J.J.G. (2004) Queen execution and caste conflict in the stingless bee Melipona beecheii, Ethology 110, 725–736.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenseleers T., Ratnieks F.L.W. (2004) Tragedy of the commons in Melipona bees, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B, Biol. Sci. 271(SUPPL. 5), S310–S312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witter S., Wittmann D. (1997) Poliginia temporária em Plebeia wittmanni Moure and Camargo, 1989 (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae), Biociências 5, 61–69.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Denise Araujo Alves.

Additional information

Manuscript editor: Marla Spivak

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Alves, D.A., Menezes, C., Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L. et al. First discovery of a rare polygyne colony in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata (Apidae, Meliponini). Apidologie 42, 211–213 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1051/apido/2010053

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/apido/2010053

Keywords

Navigation