A genetic and morphological survey to trace the origin of Melipona beecheii (Apidae: Meliponini) from Cuba

The stingless bee Melipona beecheii is extensively distributed across Mexico and Central America and the only Melipona found in the Greater Antilles. The aim of this work was to establish possible continental affinities of M. beecheii from the Antilles. We compared populations from the main island (...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Apidologie 2019-12, Vol.50 (6), p.859-870
Main Authors: May-Itzá, William de Jesús, Peña, Walberto Lóriga, De la Rúa, Pilar, Quezada-Eúan, José Javier G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Entomology
Life Sciences
Melipona beecheii
Morphology
Morphometry
Original Article
Population genetics
Populations
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The stingless bee Melipona beecheii is extensively distributed across Mexico and Central America and the only Melipona found in the Greater Antilles. The aim of this work was to establish possible continental affinities of M. beecheii from the Antilles. We compared populations from the main island (Cuba) with two clearly separated genetic lineages of M. beecheii on mainland, namely the Yucatán peninsula (Mexico) and Costa Rica. We used morphometrics, the degree of cephalic maculation, and microsatellite variation. Results indicate a greater morphological and genetic similarity between populations from Cuba and the Yucatán peninsula with respect to those of Costa Rica. Based on our findings, we conclude that the origin of M. beecheii from Cuba is more likely the Yucatán peninsula (Mexico). We found evidence that isolation has not been large enough to result in a new genetic lineage.
ISSN:0044-8435
1297-9678
DOI:10.1007/s13592-019-00696-7