1. PaDIL Species Factsheet

Scientific Name: hockingsi Cockerell, 1929 (: : Apinae: Meliponini)

Common Name "hockingsi" Sugarbag bee Live link: http://www.padil.gov.au/pollinators/Pest/Main/138563

Image Library Australian Pollinators Live link: http://www.padil.gov.au/pollinators/

Partners for Australian Pollinators image library

Western Australian Museum https://museum.wa.gov.au/

South Australian Museum https://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/

Australian Museum https://australian.museum/

Museums Victoria https://museumsvictoria.com.au/ 2. Species Information

2.1. Details Specimen Contact: ANIC, CSIRO Canberra - Author: Dollin, A., Walker, K. & Heard, T. Citation: Dollin, A., Walker, K. & Heard, T. (2009) "hockingsi" Sugarbag bee (Tetragonula hockingsi)Updated on 12/9/2011 Available online: PaDIL - http://www.padil.gov.au Image Use: Free for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY- NC 4.0)

2.2. URL Live link: http://www.padil.gov.au/pollinators/Pest/Main/138563

2.3. Facets Status: Native Australian Beneficial Species Host Genera: Fresh Flowers Bio-Region: Australasian - Oceanian Host Family: Avicenniaceae, Myrtaceae

2.4. Diagnostic Notes We call these bees "Sugarbag"; however, they are better described as 's stingless, social honeybees. Stingless, honey-producing bees living in social colonies with a queen, drones and thousands of workers. Trigona carbonaria hockingsi Cockerell, T.D.A. 1929. Bees from the Australian region. American Museum Novitates 346: 1–18 [8]. Type data: Syntype(s) workers (number of specimens unknown, a specimen is labelled 'type' and has the registration number Hy/3722), Cape York, QLD. In T. carbonaria, T. hockingsi and T. mellipes the side of the is evenly covered with fine hair. This distinguishes them from T. clypearis and T. sapiens, in which part of the side of the thorax is shiny and sparsely haired. Except for the body size (T. hockingsi larger) and distribution differences, there is no distinct character to separate T. carbonaria, T. hockingsi and T. mellipes. They have similar colouration, pilosity and male terminalia. However, the nest architecture is fundamental to the distinction between T. carbonaria, T. hockingsi and T. mellipes. In T. carbonaria, the brood cells form a complete horizontal spiral comb. Normally there is no external entrance tunnel. In T. hockingsi, the brood cells form small irregular horizontal combs. Normally there is no external entrance tunnel. In T. mellipes, the brood cells form small irregular horizontal combs. Most nests do possess an external entrance tunnel. Trigona hockingsi occurs in parts of NT and in northern QLD whereas T. carbonaria mainly occurs in southern QLD and in NSW. T. mellipes occurs in NT and WA. Trigona hockingsi is diagnosed by: - Female worker body colour jet black- Female worker measurements= body: 4.1-4.5mm; Wing (including tegula): 4.4-4.7mm- Mesopleuron and metapleuron densely and evenly covered with fine, short hair- Malar space hirsute and relatively long- Mesoscutum without distinct glabrous bands - Male drone body colour similar to worker- Male measurements= body 4.0-4.4mm; wing (including tegula): 4.5-4.7mm)- Male hind tibia wide and flatter apically as in T. clypearis- Male last tergum apically rounded not beaked Source: Anne Dollin (pers. comm. May 2009) wrote the nesting notes. Dollin, A.E., Dollin, L.J. & Sakagami, S.F. 1997. Australian stingless bees of the genus Trigona (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Invertebrate 11: 861–896 Note: The classification used here follows Michener 2007 (The Bees of the World, Second edition The John Hopkins University Press). Rasmussen, C. and S. Cameron (2007) (A molecular phylogeny of the Old Wiorld stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) and the non-monophyly of the large genus Trigona. Systematic Entomology 32: 26-39) suggested that Australian species in the genus Trigona be moved into the genus Tetragonula.

2.5. Web Links AURUKUN: http://uqconnect.net/~zzrzabel/aurukun.html Aussie Bee: http://www.aussiebee.com.au/beesinyourarea.html Bob the Beeman: http://www.rovingphotos.com.au/saving_native_bees.htm Overview: http://www.hermparkss.eq.edu.au/Bee_Web/trigona_hockingsi.htm 3. Diagnostic Images

Australia: - Edungalba, 6 Sept Australia: Queensland- Rockhampton, 7 1987 Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Sept 1996, Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Dollin 1996 Dollin 1996 Antenna - drone: Ken Walker Museums Antenna - female: Ken Walker Museums Victoria Victoria

Australia: Queensland - Edungalba, 6 Sept Australia: Queensland- Rockhampton, 7 1987 Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Sept 1996, Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Dollin 1996 Dollin 1996 Dorsal view - drone: Ken Walker Museums Dorsal view - female worker: Ken Walker Victoria Museums Victoria

Australia: Queensland - Edungalba, 6 Sept Australia: Queensland - Edungalba, 6 Sept 1987 Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L 1987 Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Dollin 1996 Dollin 1996 Genitalia - drone: Ken Walker Museums Head front - drone: Ken Walker Museums Victoria Victoria Australia: Queensland- Rockhampton, 7 Australia: Queensland - Edungalba, 6 Sept Sept 1996, Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L 1987 Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Dollin 1996 Dollin 1996 Head front - female worker: Ken Walker Hind tibia - drone: Ken Walker Museums Museums Victoria Victoria

Australia: Queensland- Rockhampton, 7 Australia: Queensland - Edungalba, 6 Sept Sept 1996, Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L 1987 Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Dollin 1996 Dollin 1996 Hind tibia - female worker: Ken Walker Lateral view - drone: Ken Walker Museums Museums Victoria Victoria

Australia: Queensland- Rockhampton, 7 Australia: Queensland- Rockhampton, 7 Sept 1996, Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Sept 1996, Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Dollin 1996 Dollin 1996 Lateral view - female worker: Ken Walker Malar space - female worker: Ken Walker Museums Victoria Museums Victoria Australia: Queensland - Edungalba, 6 Sept Australia: Queensland- Rockhampton, 7 1987 Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Sept 1996, Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Dollin 1996 Dollin 1996 Mesoscutum - drone: Ken Walker Museums Mesoscutum - female worker: Ken Walker Victoria Museums Victoria

Australia: Queensland - Edungalba, 6 Sept Australia: Queensland- Rockhampton, 7 1987 Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Sept 1996, Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Dollin 1996 Dollin 1996 Mesoscutum drone oblique view: Ken Mesoscutum female worker oblique view: Walker Museums Victoria Ken Walker Museums Victoria

Australia: Queensland - Edungalba, 6 Sept Australia: Queensland- Rockhampton, 7 1987 Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Sept 1996, Les and Anne Dollin det. A and L Dollin 1996 Dollin 1996 Mesosomal side - drone: Ken Walker Mesosomal side - female worker: Ken Museums Victoria Walker Museums Victoria

Results Generated: Monday, September 27, 2021