A molecular phylogeny of the stingless bee genus Melipona (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

• Published in: Molecular phylogenetics and evolution Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 519 - 525
• Main Authors: Ramírez, Santiago R., Nieh, James C., Quental, Tiago B., Roubik, David W., Imperatriz-Fonseca, Vera L., Pierce, Naomi E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.08.2010
• Subjects: Animals; Apidae; Apis; Bayes Theorem; Bees - classification; Bees - genetics; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; Eusociality; Evolution, Molecular; Honey bees; Hymenoptera; Likelihood Functions; Melipona; Meliponini; Penalized likelihood; Phylogeny; Referential communication; Relaxed molecular clock; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Stingless bees; Honey bees; Melipona; Relaxed molecular clock; Stingless bees; Eusociality; Apis; Referential communication; Penalized likelihood
• ISSN: 1055-7903; 1095-9513; 1095-9513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.04.026

Stingless bees (Meliponini) constitute a diverse group of highly eusocial insects that occur throughout tropical regions around the world. The meliponine genus Melipona is restricted to the New World tropics and has over 50 described species. Melipona, like Apis, possesses the remarkable ability to use representational communication to indicate the location of foraging patches. Although Melipona has been the subject of numerous behavioral, ecological, and genetic studies, the evolutionary history of this genus remains largely unexplored. Here, we implement a multigene phylogenetic approach based on nuclear, mitochondrial, and ribosomal loci, coupled with molecular clock methods, to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships and antiquity of subgenera and species of Melipona. Our phylogenetic analysis resolves the relationship among subgenera and tends to agree with morphology-based classification hypotheses. Our molecular clock analysis indicates that the genus Melipona shared a most recent common ancestor at least ∼14–17 million years (My) ago. These results provide the groundwork for future comparative analyses aimed at understanding the evolution of complex communication mechanisms in eusocial Apidae.