A new wave of Mesoamerican bumblebees? Revising the weisi-complex to reject numts and pseudospecies (Apidae: Bombus).

COI-barcode-like sequences appear to show substantially more species diversity among Mesoamerican bumblebees than had been reported previously from morphological studies. Closer examination shows that some of this apparent diversity may be pseudospecies (groups falsely misinterpreted as separate species), often supported by paralogous 'numts' (nuclear copies of mitochondrial sequences). For the well-sampled weisi-complex, we seek to filter out pseudogenes in order to use the orthologous COI-barcode sequences for identifying estimates of evolutionary relationships and likely species' gene coalescents for candidate species.

Biomechanical properties of non-flight vibrations produced by bees.

Bees use thoracic vibrations produced by their indirect flight muscles for powering wingbeats in flight, but also during mating, pollination, defence and nest building. Previous work on non-flight vibrations has mostly focused on acoustic (airborne vibrations) and spectral properties (frequency domain). However, mechanical properties such as the vibration's acceleration amplitude are important in some behaviours, e.

Revision of carpenter bees of the subgenus Neoxylocopa Michener (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from Mexico and Mesoamerica.

We present a review of the genus Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) of Mexico and Mesoamerica in which 11 species are recognized, including: X. clarionenis, X. fimbriata, X.

Bee diversity in secondary forests and coffee plantations in a transition between foothills and highlands in the Guatemalan Pacific Coast.

Background: Although conservation of pristine habitats is recognized in many countries as crucial for maintaining pollinator diversity, the contribution of secondary forest conservation is poorly recognized in the Latin American context, such as in Guatemala. San Lucas Tolimán (SLT) is a high-quality coffee production region from the Atitlan Province, which has the second highest deciduous forest cover in Guatemala and pristine forest is prioritized for conservation. In contrast, secondary forest protection is undetermined, since these forests are normally removed or strongly affected by coffee farming practices.