Biometrics reveals distinct population of Meliponula ferruginea (Lepeletier, 1841) and Meliponula bocandei (Spinola, 1853) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) in Cameroon-Central Africa

Abstract

The floristic diversity of the western highlands and the bimodal rainfall forest zone of Cameroon make these areas favorable sites for the evolution of stingless bees, including species of the Meliponula genus. In addition to the ecological services they provide, they are the biggest producers of Afro-tropical stingless bee honey, prized for its various therapeutic properties. With the development of meliponiculture, more and more attention is being paid to these insects, but very few studies have been devoted to them. Thus, to improve knowledge of these bees, this study involved 485 worker bees, including 395 of the Meliponula ferruginae species and 90 of the Meliponula bocandei species, collected in 7 Divisions in the western highlands and the bimodal rainfall forest zone. A total of 16 biometric measurements were then taken using a stereo microscope and the classical biometry method. The data obtained were subjected to one-way analysis of variance using XLSTAT 2014 and SPSS 2010 statistical software. With P<0.05, the various results obtained show that for Meliponula ferruginea, all measurements were influenced by locality, with the exception of body length and metatarsal length. On the other hand, in Meliponula bocandei, only the length of the body and the length of the abdomen were influenced by locality. PCA and AFD show that bee populations of each species are made up of three genetic morphotypes. Thus, the results obtained from this biometric study are needed to assess the degree of homogeneity within the population of Meliponula bocandei and Meliponula ferruginea in these areas, which will be used during the domestication process of these bees, particularly when selecting colonies for multiplication.