Nesting biology and niche modelling of Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini) in Nepal

Abstract

Scattered records indicate that people keep stingless bees in Nepal, but there is no published information on the identity of the bees or their natural history. We investigated the occurrence of stingless bees in Nepal through field surveys across the Terai and Pahad regions (21 districts and 12 zones). We identified a single species, provisionally identified as Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith), in nine districts and seven zones. We document for the first time its nesting biology, knowledge of its behavior, and its potential distribution in Nepal. We found nests of T. iridipennis inside cavities of medium to very large canopy trees of economic and cultural importance, such as trees used as timber and animal feed. Niche models suggest a broad distribution of T. iridipennis in southern Nepal and, in combination with our field data, areas where it may be locally extinct and areas where it may have been introduced by humans.