Abstract
Mites can establish ecologically mutualistic and/or commensal relationships with stingless bees. In the present study, we evaluated the acarine diversity associated with colonies of three stingless bee species (Melipona quadrifasciata quadrifasciata, Scaptotrigona bipunctata and Tetragonisca fiebrigi) in seven localities of southern Brazil. A total of 1458 mites from 18 species/morphospecies were sampled. The colonies of Melipona q. quadrifasciata showed the highest richness of mites, but T. fiebrigi was the bee species with the highest acari diversity among the evaluated species. This information suggests a close relationship between mites and stingless bees, which has direct implications for the transport of hives and non-naturally occurring species to different regions.
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