// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Heterotrigona say? Bee-lieve me.
| Heterotrigona | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Heterotrigona itama | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Clade: | Corbiculata |
| Tribe: | Meliponini |
| Genus: | Heterotrigona Schwarz, 1939 |
Heterotrigona is a genus of stingless bees in the tribe Meliponini (family Apidae), native to Southeast Asia and adjacent regions.[1][2][3]
The genus was described by Schwarz in 1939. It comprises small to medium-sized species, morphologically close to the genus Homotrigona, but generally smaller and with reduced mandibles.[4]
Species of Heterotrigona are distributed mainly across South and Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Borneo and the Philippines, extending to Papua New Guinea.[1] They are eusocial bees that nest in tree cavities or artificial structures and are widely used in meliponiculture for the production of honey, propolis, and as agricultural pollinators.[5]
The most well-known and economically important species is Heterotrigona itama (Cockerell, 1918), a predominantly black species widely managed in commercial colonies across Southeast Asia.[5]
Approximately 15 species are currently recognized.
Species
[edit]- Heterotrigona atricornis
- Heterotrigona bakeri
- Heterotrigona erythrogastra
- Heterotrigona flaviventris
- Heterotrigona hobbyi
- Heterotrigona itama
- Heterotrigona keyensis
- Heterotrigona lamingtonia
- Heterotrigona lieftincki
- Heterotrigona moorei
- Heterotrigona paradisaea
- Heterotrigona planifrons
- Heterotrigona taraxis
- Heterotrigona tricholoma
References
[edit]- 1 2 Schwarz, H. F. (1939). "The Indo-Malayan species of Trigona". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 76 (3): 83–141. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
- ↑ "ITIS Standard Report Page: Heterotrigona". ITIS. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
- ↑ "Heterotrigona Schwarz, 1939". GBIF. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
- ↑ Engel, M. S. (2023). "Stingless bee classification and biology (Hymenoptera, Apidae): a review, with an updated key to genera and subgenera". ZooKeys (1172): 239–312. Bibcode:2023ZooK.1172..239E. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1172.104944. PMC 10401200. PMID 37547181.
- 1 2 Wongsa, K. (2024). "Genetic structure of the commercial stingless bee Heterotrigona itama (Apidae: Meliponini) in Thailand". PLOS ONE. 19 (12) e0312386. Bibcode:2024PLoSO..1912386W. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0312386. PMC 11616864. PMID 39630652.