Morphometric and genetic differentiation in isolated populations of the endangered Mesoamerican stingless bee Melipona yucatanica (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) suggest the existence of a two species complex

The stingless bee Melipona yucatanica is a rare species only found in preserved forests across Mesoamerica. Morphometric and molecular analyses (DNA barcoding of the cytochrome oxidase (cox1) and microsatellites) were combined to characterize and compare populations from Mexico and Guatemala. We aim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Conservation genetics 2010-10, Vol.11 (5), p.2079-2084
Main Authors: May-Itzá, William de Jesús, Quezada-Euán, J. Javier G, Medina Medina, Luis A, Enríquez, Eunice, De la Rúa, Pilar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Genetics and Genomics
Bayesian analysis
Bees
Biodiversity
Comparative studies
Conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation Biology/Ecology
DNA barcode
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Life Sciences
Melipona yucatanica
Mesoamerica
microsatellite repeats
Morphometrics
Plant Genetics and Genomics
Population genetics
Rare species
Short Communication
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Summary:The stingless bee Melipona yucatanica is a rare species only found in preserved forests across Mesoamerica. Morphometric and molecular analyses (DNA barcoding of the cytochrome oxidase (cox1) and microsatellites) were combined to characterize and compare populations from Mexico and Guatemala. We aim to test the hypothesis predicting that populations from these two geographic regions could be considered as distinct taxonomic units. Morphometric analyses revealed geographic differences, Guatemalan bees being larger than Mexican specimens. Bayesian analyses of the mitochondrial cox1 region and the microsatellite loci demonstrated that M. yucatanica form two clades corresponding to the Mexican and Guatemalan populations. These results suggest that M. yucatanica from Mexico and Guatemala could represent two distinct species. However, more studies are needed on their ecology and behavior to determine the possibility of gene flow between them.
ISSN:1566-0621
1572-9737
DOI:10.1007/s10592-010-0087-7