Cleptotrigona
Genus of African stingless bees
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cleptotrigona is a monotypic genus of cleptoparasitic stingless bee, represented by its only species Cleptotrigona cubiceps, sometimes referred to as the African robber bee. It is found in Africa.
| Cleptotrigona | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Clade: | Corbiculata |
| Tribe: | Meliponini |
| Genus: | Cleptotrigona Moure, 1961 |
| Species: | C. cubiceps |
| Binomial name | |
| Cleptotrigona cubiceps (Friese, 1912) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
The worker of Cleptotrigona cubiceps is a very small, dark brown to black stingless bee, with a body length of 3.5–4.0 mm. It lacks a pollen basket (corbicula) and the associated penicillum. The head is relatively large and shiny, and the scutum has a black, velvety vestiture. The mandible has one or two anterior teeth and one large posterior tooth. The forewing has two closed cells and a distinct radial sector (Rs) vein.[1]
Distribution and ecology
Cleptotrigona cubiceps is found in Sub-Saharan Africa, with records from Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, South Africa, Angola, Tanzania, and Liberia.[2] It is a kleptoparasite, invading the nests of other stingless bees to lay its eggs. It is believed to parasitize bees of the genera Hypotrigona and probably Liotrigona.[1]