Plebeina hildebrandti

Plebeina hildebrandti
For other uses, see Sweat bee.
Plebeina hildebrandti
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Superfamily: Apoidea
Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Apinae
Tribe: Meliponini
Genus: Plebeina
Moure, 1961
Species: P. hildebrandti
Binomial name
Plebeina hildebrandti
(Friese, 1900)
Synonyms
  • Melipona (Trigona) denoiti Vachal, 1903
  • Trigona denoiti katangensis Cockerell, 1934
  • Trigona clypeata Friese, 1909
  • Trigona zebra Strand, 1911

Plebeina hildebrandti , the mopane bee, mopane fly or (in) gongomtshane in Ndebele, is a very small gnat-like stingless bee species native to Africa, and the only member of its genus. It lives in savannah of Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroun, D.R. Congo (Shaba), Rwanda, Ouganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.[1]

It congregates about the moist tissue of the eyes, nose and mouth to find water in the dry environment where it lives, and is therefore sometimes called a "sweat bee". It has the ability to produce a dark and strong honey.

References

  1. ^ Plebeina hildebrandti on www.atlashymenoptera.net (French)

External links

"Plebeina hildebrandti". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=764035.  Taxonomic Serial No.:


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