| Austroplebeia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Female Austroplebeia australis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Tribe: | Meliponini |
| Genus: | Austroplebeia Moure, 1961 |
Austroplebeia is a stingless bee (Meliponini) genus in the family Apidae. The genus was erected by Jesus Santiago Moure in 1961. [1] [2] The genus comprises five described species endemic to Australia and New Guinea. [3] Austroplebeia are more closely related to the African stingless bees than rest of the species found in Asia and Australia. [4]
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The species of Austroplebeia are difficult to separate reliably by body size or morphology [5] except for A. cincta which can be distinguished readily by its colouration and pilosity. [6] There are also few differences in their nest structures. This has hindered taxonomic studies to date and no workable key exists for the Austroplebeia species. [7]
All species are small, black and robust (length: 3.0–4.9 mm) and differ from other stingless bee species that co-occur in the same region (i.e. Tetragonula , Platytrigona , Papuatrigona ) by the presence of cream or yellow markings in their head and thorax. [3] Most species construct their nests largely from wax, unlike most stingless bees, they use propolis sparingly. They construct a fine, lacy curtain of resin droplets over their nest entrance at night in order to protect against ants and other predators. [8] [9]
In Australia, people keep these bees in logs or wooden hives made of boxes. [8] [9] They show potential as pollinators of both field and greenhouse crops [10] [11] [12]
