Biometric Studies of the Stingless Bee Tetragonula laeviceps Complex (Apidae: Meliponini) from Northern Thailand
2017
Bajaree Chuttong, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand | Michael Burgett, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR(USA)
Biometrical information for five colonies of the Tetragonula laeviceps complex from Chiang Mai province, Thailand, was collected. The examination was conducted from September to November 2016. The range of colony age was one to five years. Results reveal an average number of queens (2.0±0.7), workers (5,823.6±2,703.3), drones (349.8±701.0), brood cells (9,911.0±4,795.3), honey pots (433.0±312.4) and pollen pots (711.8±305.9). The average size of a honey pot was 6.1 ±1.0mm in width and 7.3±1.1mm in height. The average size of a pollen pot was 6.4±0.3mm in width and 7.7±0.4mm in height. The results show intraspecific variation within the species that is the most common stingless bee species used in Thai meliponiculture. These observations support the contention that T. laeviceps complex comprises a cryptic species.
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