Stingless bees are limited to tropics and subtropics with diversity in species and share morphological and behaviour patterns. Stingless bees are major pollinators of flowering plants in the tropics and improve crop productivity. Trigona iridipennis Smith were kept in India for centuries for the high medicinal value of honey as well as propolis and bee wax. A wide range of variations, especially worker and drone body size and measurement, were reported. Morphometric and geometric analysis provide a valuable tool for the differentiating variations among various honey bees and stingless bees.
Based on these back ground, our objectives of this study were 1) to characterize the morphometric aspects of workers in this reported new species of stingless bees and 2) to identify the various similarities and differences existing based on factor and principal component analysis with Trigona iridipennis Smith.
A total of 30 samples of workers were collected and various morphometric characters including head length (HL), head width (HW), proboscis length (PL), distance between two dorsal ocelli/lower intercocular distance (DBO), dorsal ocello-ocular distance (DOOD), antennal length (AL), thorax femur length (TFL), thorax tibia length (TTL), thorax metatarsus length (TML), thorax metatarsus width (TMW), thorax forewing length (TFWL), thorax forewing width (TFWW), pterostigma width (PtStW), pterostigma length (PtStW), hind wing length (HWL), hind wing width (HWW), number of hamuli (HAM), abdominal tergite length (AbTL), abdominal sternum width (AbSW), mandible length (MdL) and mandible width (MdW), head length width ratio (HLW), thorax metatarsus length width ratio (TMLW) and thorax forewing length width ratio (TFWLW) were analyzed.
One sample (SS1) showed distinct differences in habitat preference (Laterite rock), appearance (size and colour), behaviour (passive) and nest architecture (narrow round entrance tube, snow white brood, cream white food pots). The present study based on the morphometry of stingless bees across Kerala shows that, in spite of the morphological and behavioural variations exhibited by the bees, members of all samples belong to Trigona iridipennis. But one sample (SS1) shows entirely different morphometric characteristics. It was found that this sample belongs to genus Lisotrigona
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1 Study area
2.2 Study design and data collection
2.3 Morphometric measurements
2.4 Statistical analysis
3. Results
3.1 Descriptive analysis
3.2 Correlation analysis
3.3 Principal component analysis
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Research Objectives and Focus
The study aims to perform a comprehensive morphometric analysis of stingless bees in Kerala, specifically identifying variations among populations. The research seeks to characterize the morphometric aspects of workers in a newly reported stingless bee species and to evaluate similarities and differences between these bees and the well-known Trigona iridipennis Smith using factor and principal component analysis.
- Morphometric characterization of worker stingless bees
- Comparative analysis using statistical multivariate methods
- Taxonomic differentiation of bee samples based on morphometric data
- Identification of habitat and nest architectural variations
Excerpt from the Book
Occurrence of a new type of stingless bees in Kerala: Evidence from morphometric analysis
Stingless bees are limited to tropics and subtropics with diversity in species and share morphological and behaviour patterns. Stingless bees are major pollinators of flowering plants in the tropics and improve crop productivity. Trigona iridipennis Smith are kept in India for centuries for the high medicinal value of honey as well as propolis and bee wax. A wide range of variations especially worker and drone body size and measurement were reported. Morphometric and geometric analysis provide a valuable tool for the discriminating variations among various honey bees and stingless bees. Based on these back ground, our objectives of this study were to 1) to characterize the morphometric aspects of workers in this reported new species of stingless bees 2) to identify the various similarities and differences existed among based on factor and principal component analysis with Trigona iridipennis Smith.
A total of 30 samples of workers were collected and analyzed various morphometric characters including head length (HL), head width (HW), proboscis length (PL), distance between two dorsal ocelli/lower intercocular distance (DBO), dorsal ocello-ocular distance (DOOD), antennal length (AL), thorax femur length (TFL), thorax tibia length (TTL), thorax metatarsus length (TML), thorax metatarsus width (TMW), thorax forewing length (TFWL), thorax forewing width (TFWW), pterostigma width (PtStW), pterostigma length (PtStW), hind wing length (HWL), hind wing width (HWW), number of hamuli (HAM), abdominal tergite length (AbTL), abdominal sternum width (AbSW), mandible length (MdL) and mandible width (MdW), head length width ratio (HLW), thorax metatarsus length width ratio (TMLW) and thorax forewing length width ratio (TFWLW). One sample (SS1) from showed distinct differences in habitat preference (Laterite rock), appearance (size and colour), behaviour (passive) and nest architecture (narrow round entrance tube, snow white brood, cream white food pots).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the decline of honey bee populations and introduces the importance of stingless bees in Kerala, specifically focusing on Trigona iridipennis Smith.
2. Materials and Methods: This section details the study area in Kerala, the collection process of bee samples, and the specific statistical techniques, including PCA, used to analyze morphometric variables.
3. Results: This chapter presents the descriptive, correlation, and principal component analyses of the collected morphometric data, highlighting significant variations among the samples.
4. Discussion: This section interprets the findings, linking morphometric variations to environmental factors and identifying the presence of a potential new genus, Lisotrigona.
5. Conclusions: This chapter summarizes the key findings, confirming the occurrence of two distinct genera of stingless bees in Kerala and calling for further molecular investigation.
Keywords
Stingless bees, Meliponiculture, Cerumen, Batumen, Brood, Morphometric analysis, Trigona iridipennis, Lisotrigona, Principal component analysis, Honey bee, Entomology, Kerala, Biodiversity, Pollination, Taxonomic identification
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary scope of this research?
The work primarily focuses on the morphometric analysis of stingless bees in the Kerala region of India to identify variations and potential new species.
What are the core research areas addressed?
The research covers bee morphometry, taxonomy, nest architecture, and the application of multivariate statistical tools for species differentiation.
What is the central research question?
The core objective is to characterize the morphometric aspects of local stingless bee populations and determine their taxonomic similarity to Trigona iridipennis Smith.
Which scientific methods were employed?
The researchers utilized steromicroscopy for measurement and applied statistical methods including Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA).
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers the detailed morphological measurements of 30+ samples and explains the variations in bee physiology and nest-building behavior.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Stingless bees, Meliponiculture, morphometric analysis, Trigona iridipennis, and Lisotrigona.
What makes the sample labeled "SS1" unique in the study?
The sample SS1 displayed distinct differences in nest architecture, habitat, and passive behavior compared to other samples, identifying it as belonging to the genus Lisotrigona.
How does the environment influence the morphology of these bees?
The study suggests that factors such as feed quality, forage availability, and geographical variations (altitude and climate) contribute to the observed size differences in worker bees.
- Quote paper
- Prem Jose Vazhacharickal (Author), Sajan Jose K. (Author), 2016, Occurrence of a new type of stingless bee in Kerala. Evidence from morphometric analysis, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/349889
