The first male of the extinct bee tribe Melikertini (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Engel, Michael S.; Breitkreuz, Laura C.V.; Ohl, Michael

doi:10.17161/jom.v0i30.4698

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In males, the hidden metasomal sterna VII and VIII are reduced (as in Apini, well-developed in Euglossini and Bombini), and the gonobase is absent or vestigial (as in Apini, present in Euglossini and Bombini). Although a single melikertine male is known (Engel et al, 2014), it has yet to be scanned to see if the terminalia could be visualized and compared with that of Meliponini and other corbiculate bees.…”

Section: Systematic Paleontology Subfamily Apinae Latreille Clade Corbiculata Engelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stingless bees in Miocene amber of southeastern China (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Among the many inclusions from the exceptionally rich fossiliferous amber of Zhangpu, China (Middle Miocene: Langhian), stingless bees (Apinae: Meliponini) are particularly common, analogous to the merely slightly older amber sites of Mexico and the Dominican Republic. While there is a large number of workers in Zhangpu amber, only two species are represented. The systematics and morphology of the tribe Meliponini is outlined, including a revision to terms of orientation and direction when discussing surfaces and features of appendages, all in order to better discuss the traits of the fossils as well as place them into a broader context in the global systematics of stingless bees. The two amber species are representative of two Old World genera of Meliponini: Tetragonula Moure and Austroplebeia Moure. While the former is widespread across southern Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, and Australia, the latter is today known only from New Guinea and Australia. Neither genus occurs in the environs of Zhangpu today. Tetragonula (Tetragonula) florilega Engel, new species, is a generally typical species of the subgenus although it intermingles traits otherwise found in two large species groups of non-Australian Tetragonula s.str. The species of Austroplebeia from Zhangpu is sufficiently distinct to place in a new subgenus, Anteplebeina Engel. Austroplebeia (Anteplebeina) fujianica Engel, new species, shares a long list of character states with Austroplebeia s.str., including the presence of yellow maculation on the face, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and metepisternum, found only in this clade among Asiatic Meliponini. Nonetheless, the species differs in the length of the malar space and various features of wing venation. Keys are provided to the genera in Zhangpu amber and the subgenera of both genera. The diversity of stingless bees in amber is discussed, as well as the presence of these two fossils in the Middle Miocene of mainland Asia in relation to prior divergence time estimates, phylogenetic relationships, as well as the paleogeography of the region and potential biogeographic hypotheses. The biological association of stingless bees with resins, particularly the collection of dipterocarp resins, is discussed as Zhangpu amber is a Class II resin likely produced by an extinct species of Dipterocarpaceae (Malvales). Also discussed are the ecological preferences of modern Tetragonula and Austroplebeia relative to the reconstructed paleoenvironment of the Zhangpu amber rainforest. Emendations to the classification of Meliponini are appended, with the following new taxa proposed: Atrichotrigona Engel, new subgenus of Axestotrigona Moure; Lispotrigona V.H. Gonzalez & Engel, new subgenus of Nannotrigona Cockerell; Asperplebeia Engel, new genus; Nanoplebeia Engel, new subgenus of Plebeia Schwarz; Aphaneuropsis Engel, Koilotrigona Engel, Necrotrigona Engel, Dichrotrigona Engel, Nostotrigona Engel, Ktinotrofia Engel, all new subgenera of Trigona Jurine; Chapadapis Engel, new subgenus of Schwarziana Moure. The following higher groups are also established: Hypotrigonina Engel, new sutribe; Heterotrigonitae Engel, new infratribe; Trigoniscitae Engel, new infratribe.

show abstract

Section: Systematic Paleontology Subfamily Apinae Latreille Clade Corbiculata Engelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stingless bees in Miocene amber of southeastern China (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Bombus is the only contemporary genus of the tribe Bombini but additional fossils have been associated with this tribe, and these have either been proposed within the genus, or in putatively extinct genera. Overall, the fossil record of bees is comparatively scarce, with only around 200 described species (e.g., Kotthoff et al 2011; Michez et al 2012; Wappler et al 2012; Engel and Michener 2013a; Engel and Breitkreuz 2013; Engel et al 2013, 2014, 2018; Dewulf et al 2014; Dehon et al 2014, 2017; Engel 2014, 2019a, b; Prokop et al 2017). In total, 14 bombine fossil species have been described, each described from a single specimen with the exception of Calyptapis florissantensis Cockerell which was documented from two specimens (Table 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphometric analysis of fossil bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombini) reveals their taxonomic affinities

Dehon¹,

Engel²,

Gérard³

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are a widespread corbiculate lineage (Apinae: Corbiculata: Bombini), mostly found among temperate and alpine ecosystems. Approximately 260 species have been recognized and grouped recently into a simplified system of 15 subgenera. Most of the species are nest-building and primitively eusocial. Species of Bombus have been more intensely studied than any other lineages of bees with the exception of the honey bees. However, most bumble bee fossils are poorly described and documented, making their placement relative to other Bombus uncertain. A large portion of the known and presumed bumble bee fossils were re-examined in an attempt to better understand their affinities with extant Bombini. The taxonomic affinities of fossil specimens were re-assessed based on morphological features and previous descriptions, and for 13 specimens based on geometric morphometrics of forewing shape. None of the specimens coming from Eocene and Oligocene deposits were assigned within the contemporary shape space of any subgenus of Bombus. It is shown that Calyptapis florissantensis Cockerell, 1906 (Eocene-Oligocene boundary, Florissant shale, Colorado, USA) and Oligobombus cuspidatus Antropov, 2014 (Late Eocene, Bembridge Marls) likely belong to stem-group Bombini. Bombus anacolus Zhang, 1994, B. dilectus Zhang, 1994, B. luianus Zhang, 1990 (Middle Miocene, Shanwang Formation), as well as B. vetustus Rasnitsyn & Michener, 1991 (Miocene, Botchi Formation) are considered as species inquirenda. In the Miocene, affinities of fossils with derived subgenera of Bombus s. l. increased, and some are included in the shape space of contemporary subgenera: Cullumanobombus (i.e., B. pristinus Unger, 1867, B. randeckensis Wappler & Engel, 2012, and B. trophonius Prokop, Dehon, Michez & Engel, 2017), Melanobombus (i.e., B. cerdanyensis Dehon, De Meulemeester & Engel, 2014), and Mendacibombus (i.e., B. beskonakensis (Nel & Petrulevičius, 2003), new combination), agreeing with previous estimates of diversification.

show abstract

“…Together with the orchid bees (Euglossini) and the aforementioned Apini and Meliponini, bumble bees represent one of the four surviving tribal lineages of the corbiculate Apinae (Engel 2001a, Michener 2007). Varied extinct lineages representing stem groups or breaking the otherwise long branches between our modern corbiculates have been discovered from the Paleogene (Cockerell 1908, Engel 1998a, 2001a, Wappler and Engel 2003, Patiny et al 2007, Engel et al 2013, 2014), and some of these reveal that the bombine habitus is overall generalized and plesiomorphic for the Corbiculata ( e.g ., Engel 2001a). These extinct clades are also the fossils for which the most information has been accumulated regarding their pollen-collecting behaviors (Wappler et al 2015, Grímsson et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Early Miocene bumble bee from northern Bohemia (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Prokop

Dehon

Michez

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A new species of fossil bumble bee (Apinae: Bombini) is described and figured from Early Miocene (Burdigalian) deposits of the Most Basin at the Bílina Mine, Czech Republic. Bombus trophonius sp. n., is placed within the subgenus Cullumanobombus Vogt and distinguished from the several species groups therein. The species is apparently most similar to the Nearctic B. (Cullumanobombus) rufocinctus Cresson, the earliest-diverging species within the clade and the two may be related only by symplesiomorphies. The age of the fossil is in rough accordance with divergence estimations for Cullumanobombus.

show abstract

The first male of the extinct bee tribe Melikertini (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Cited by 9 publications

References 28 publications

Stingless bees in Miocene amber of southeastern China (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Stingless bees in Miocene amber of southeastern China (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Morphometric analysis of fossil bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombini) reveals their taxonomic affinities

An Early Miocene bumble bee from northern Bohemia (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About