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Lestrimelitta chacoana

Lestrimelitta chacoana

Classification

Class
Insecta
Family
Apidae

Lestrimelitta is a genus of stingless bees found in the Neotropics, from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina, with about 20 known species. They are small, shining black species from 4 to 7 mm in length, with rounded heads and reduced pollen baskets. Unlike most eusocial bees, they do not gather their own pollen and nectar from flowers, thus are not pollinators, but instead they invade the colonies of other stingless bee species and rob their pollen and honey stores (a phenomenon called "cleptobiosis").

Distribution

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Countries in the Picchu catalog
Brazil · 13Argentina · 1