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Revista de Biología Tropical, ISSN: 2215-2075, Vol. 71: e51166, enero-diciembre 2023 (Publicado May. 16, 2023)
The characteristics of stingless bee nests (Apidae: Meliponini)
in the Cycloop Mountain Nature Reserve, Indonesia
David Reinhard Jesajas1; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8294-9612
Tri Atmowidi2*; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2179-3914
Berry Juliandi2; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0348-5675
Sih Kahono3; http://orchid.org/0000-0001-7222-3180
1. Student of Animal Bioscience Study Program, Graduate School, IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia;
juandaud10@gmail.com
2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia;
atmowidi@apps.ipb.ac.id (*Correspondence), bjuliandi@apps.ipb.ac.id
3. Research Center for Applied Zoology-BRIN, Cibinong 16912, Indonesia; sihkahono@gmail.com
Received 29-V-2022. Corrected 06-II-2023. Accepted 02-V-2023.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Stingless bees are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. In Indonesia, the distribution of
stingless bees are grouped in three regions, namely Indo-Malayan, Wallacea, and Indo-Australian. Ten species
of stingless bees have been recorded in Papua, seven of which are endemic. The Cycloop Mountains Nature
Reserve (CMNR) is one of the conservation area in Papua, Indonesia, for flora and fauna. Unfortunately, the
study of the diversity of stingless bees in Papua has been limited.
Objective: To measure the diversity, nesting sites, nest entrance characteristics and nest architecture of sting-
less bees.
Methods: Observation of the stingless bee nests in the nature reserves and in the residential areas used a road
sampling method and information from local people, respectively. A total of 22 colonies were studied.
Results: Two species of stingless bee were found, namely Tetragonula sapiens (Cockerell, 1911) and
Heterotrigona (Platytrigona) planifrons (Smith, 1865). The current study showed new distribution records for
T. sapiens and H. planifrons in the CMNR. The nesting site of T. sapiens was commonly found in house founda-
tion, while that of H. planifrons was in coconut palm cavities. The nest entrance of T. sapiens varied, i.e., ellipti-
cal, oval, rounded, irregular, horizontally or vertically elongated. Meanwhile, the nest entrance of H. planifrons
was vertically elongated. The brood cells of T. sapiens varied, i.e., vertical, horizontal, or semi-clusters, while
in H. planifrons was layered vertically.
Conclusions: Two species of stingless bees found, T. sapiens and H. planifrons, showed a new distribution
records and T. sapiens was a dominant species in Papua. The nest entrance of the species varied in shape, color,
and texture.
Key words: Cycloop Mountains Nature Reserve; diversity; nest characteristics; stingless bee.
RESUMEN
Ubicación y características de los nidos de abejas sin aguijón (Apidae: Meliponini)
en la Reserva Natural Cycloop Mountain, Indonesia.
Introducción: Las abejas sin aguijón están muy extendidas en las regiones tropicales y subtropicales. En
Indonesia, la distribución de las abejas sin aguijón se agrupa en tres regiones: Indo-Malayan, Wallacea e
https://doi.org/10.15517/rev.biol.trop..v71i1.51166
INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY
2Revista de Biología Tropical, ISSN: 2215-2075 Vol. 71: e51166, enero-diciembre 2023 (Publicado May. 16, 2023)
INTRODUCCIÓN
The stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini)
are a cosmopolitan group of bees in the tropics
and subtropics. Stingless bees are distributed in
tropical regions of the world across the Neo-
tropical, Afrotropical, and Australasian realms
(Michener, 2000) and are the highest diversity
among bees consist of more than 600 species
(Rasmussen, 2008; Rasmussen & Cameron,
2007). Indonesia, as part of the Indo-Malayan
and Australasian ecoregions, has 46 record-
ed stingless bee species across the islands
of Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Timor, Sulawesi,
Ambon, Maluku, and Papua (Kahono et al.,
2018). The species of this group are small to
medium sized with a vestigial stinger and live
in colonies (Michener, 1974). These beehives
can be found under the soil surface, in tree and
wood cavities, house wall cavities, or hollows
of bamboo trees (Dollin et al., 1997; Engel et
al., 2019; Michener, 1974; Sakagami et al.,
1983). Stingless bees have a high prospect
as a pollinator of agricultural crops related
to its small body size, have a high foraging
activity, and high adaptation to environmental
stress (Kahono, 2015). Stingless bees play an
important role in pollinating of various plant
species (Michener, 2007), include in mustard
(Atmowidi et al., 2007), Tetragonula laeviceps
in strawberry (Fragaria x annanassa) and Het-
erotrigona itama in melon (Cucumis melo) in
the greenhouse (Atmowidi et al., 2022). Nest-
ing preference and nest characteristics, such as
the morphology of nest entrance, nest architec-
ture, and nest height from the ground are sup-
porting characters that can be used to identify
stingless bee species. Nest entrances vary in
shape, texture, length, ornamentation, and color
according to each species (Anaktototy et al.,
2021; Kelly et al., 2014). For example, the nest
entrance of Heterotrigona itama (Cockerell,
1918) is funnel-shaped and in Geniotrigona
thoracica (Smith, 1857) is rounded (Kelly et
al., 2014). The internal nest architecture con-
sists of brood cells, honey and pollen pots (Efin
et al., 2019; Franck et al., 2004; Michener,
1974; Sayusti et al., 2021).
The Cycloops Mountains Nature Reserve
(CMNR) located in the Jayapura region of
Papua Province, Indonesia. It is a tropical for-
est area with high biodiversity and ecological
functions that are important for human life.
Human activities in this area have occurred for
a long time that impact the biodiversity, includ-
ing stingless bees. Forest disturbance in CMNR
Indo-Australian. Se han registrado diez especies de abejas sin aguijón en Papua, siete de las cuales son endémi-
cas. La Reserva Natural de las Montañas Cycloop (CMNR) es una de las áreas para la conservación de flora y
la fauna en Papua, Indonesia. Desafortunadamente, el estudio de la diversidad de abejas sin aguijón en Papua
ha sido limitado.
Objetivo: Medir la diversidad, los sitios de anidación y describir la arquitectura y características de entrada al
nido de las abejas sin aguijón.
Métodos: Se observaron los nidos de abejas sin aguijón en reservas naturales y áreas residenciales, mediante el
método de muestreo de caminos e información de la población local, respectivamente. Se estudiaron 22 colonias.
Resultados: Se encontraron dos especies de abejas sin aguijón, Tetragonula sapiens (Cockerell, 1911) y
Heterotrigona (Platytrigona) planifrons (Smith, 1865). Este estudio mostró nuevos registros de distribución de T.
sapiens y H. planifrons en el CMNR. El sitio de anidación de T. sapiens se encontró comúnmente en los cimien-
tos de las casas, mientras que el de H. planifrons estaba en las cavidades de las palmas de coco. La forma de la
entrada al nido de T. sapiens varió: elíptica, ovalada, redondeada, irregular, alargada horizontal o verticalmente.
Mientras tanto, la entrada al de H. planifrons se alarga verticalmente. Las celdas de cría de T. sapiens variaron,
entre verticales, horizontales o semi-racimos, mientras que en H. planifrons eran verticales.
Conclusiones: Se encontraron dos especies de abejas sin aguijón, T. sapiens y H. planifrons, que mostraron nue-
vos registros de distribución y T. sapiens fue una especie dominante en Papúa. La entrada al nido de las especies
varió en forma, color y textura.
Palabras clave: reserva natural montañosa Cycloop; diversidad; características de nido; abejas sin aguijón.
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Revista de Biología Tropical, ISSN: 2215-2075, Vol. 71: e51166, enero-diciembre 2023 (Publicado May. 16, 2023)
is mainly caused by community socio-econom-
ic activity (Ngutra, 2017). Limited informa-
tion and knowledge are a limiting factor for
the local community. People in Papua haven’t
cultivated yet the stingless bees for producing
honey and propolis. Community knowledge is
key factor affecting stingless bee conservation.
Until now, poor knowledge of taxonomy and
phylogeny of these bees in the studied región
are based for conducting this research. There-
fore, studying the diversity and nests charac-
teristics of stingless bees in the CMNR area
is needed. This study aims to determine the
species richness, characteristics of the nesting
sites, and nest architecture of stingless bees in
the CMNR, Papua, Indoesia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Observation of nest characteristic of
stingless bees: The observations of stingless
bees in the CMNR were conducted at three
locations, namely Maribu village (including
Mount Batu, Dumukribun, Dawari, and Maribu
Kampung), Dosay village (including Kausei
and Dansari), and Kemiri village (including
Kemiri-2 of Forestry Residential) (Table 1).
Nest of stingless bee was documented using a
Nikon D5300 camera. The nest characteristics
at Mount Batu and Dawari were observed by
a road sampling method (Garton et al., 2004).
While in Maribu Kampung, Dosay village, and
Kemiri village, sampling was based on infor-
mation from local people. The nest features
TABLE 1
Study sites and the number of colonies of stingless in Maribu, Dosay, and Kemiri villages of Papua
Maribu Village Coordinate/Altitude (mdpl) Colony
number Species Nesting sites
Gunung Batu
(Dumukribun)
02°27’31.7” S & 140°23’35.8” E/364 1T. sapiens Mountains-coconut tree
Dawari 02°28’47.5” S & 140°21’48.9” E/142 2T. sapiens Local farm-dry wood
02°28’54.1” S & 140°21’43.7” E/126 3Local farm-coconut tree
02°29’05.0” S & 140°21’37.3” E/160 4T. sapiens Local farm-dry wood
02°28’42.1” S & 140°21’47.0” E/133 5T. sapiens Local farm-house foundation
Maribu Kampung 02°29’00.9” S & 140°22’15.8”E/118 6T. sapiens Housing-coconut tree
02°29’06.0” S & 140°22’13.7” E/112 7T. sapiens Housing-coconut tree
02°29’03.6” S & 140°22’16.4” E/122 8T. sapiens Housing-fern tree
02°29’06.5” S & 140°22’12.0” E/109 9T. sapiens Housing-house foundation
02°29’08.5” S & 140°22’09.2” E/112 10 T. sapiens Housing-fern tree
02°29’20.3” S & 140°22’05.1”E/80 11 T. sapiens Housing-house wall
02°29’11.1” S & 140°22’10.6”E/107 12 T. sapiens Housing-house wall
Dosay Village
Kausei 02°30’42.1” S & 140°24’05.8”E/127 1H. planifrons Local farm-coconut tree
02°30’41.9” S & 140°24’07.3”E/128 2T. sapiens Housing-house foundation
02°30’42.2” S & 140°24’07.4” E/128 3T. sapiens Housing-house foundation
02°30’42.3” S & 140°24’07.5”E/129 4T. sapiens Housing-house foundation
02°30’43.6” S & 140°24’07.8”E/125 5T. sapiens Housing-house foundation
Dansari 02°30’24.8” S & 140°24’29.5”E/140 6T. sapiens Housing-soil
Kemiri Village
Kemiri-2
(Forestry Residential)
02°33’17.8” S & 140°29’06.0”E/117 1T. sapiens Housing-house wall
02°33’10.7” S & 140°29’02.8”E/125 2T. sapiens Housing-house foundation
02°33’11.1” S & 140°29’03.0”E/125 3T. sapiens Housing-house foundation
02°33’11.1” S & 140°29’03.4”E/133 4T. sapiens Housing-house foundation
Total colony (%)
22 21 (95 %) 1 (5 %)
4Revista de Biología Tropical, ISSN: 2215-2075 Vol. 71: e51166, enero-diciembre 2023 (Publicado May. 16, 2023)
observed were nesting site, nest entrance
measurements (length, diameter, height from
ground), shape, and texture (Dollin et al., 1997;
Kelly et al., 2014). The coordinates of nest-
ing sites were determined using GPS (Garmin
etrex 10).
Collection, preservation, and identifica-
tion of stingless bee specimens: Five indi-
viduals of worker bees from each colony were
collected. The samples were then preserved
using the dry preservation method (Borror et
al., 1989). Samples were stored in bottles and
labeled. Identification of stingless bee speci-
mens were based on Sakagami et al. (1990),
Dollin et al. (1997), Rasmussen et al. (2017),
Engel et al. (2019), and Engel (2019). The
identification was carried out at the Labo-
ratory of Animal Biosystematics and Ecol-
ogy, Department of Biology, IPB University,
Bogor, Indonesia. Then, the specimens were
verified and deposited at the Research Cen-
ter for Ecology and Ethnobiology, Research
and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong,
West Java, Indonesia.
Data analysis: The t-test analysis was
used to compare the nest entrance variation
within species of T. sapiens, consisting of the
width and height of the nest entrance, funnel
length, and the height from the ground using
Paleontological Statistics version 4.09 (Ham-
mer et al. 2001).
RESULTS
Richness of stingless bee: Two species
of stingless bees were found in the three vil-
lages, namely Tetragonula sapiens and Het-
erotrigona (Platytrigona) planifrons (Fig. 1).
A total of twenty-two colonies were found,
i.e., one in Maribu Village including Gunung
Batu (Dumukribun), four in Dawari, seven in
Maribu Kampung, five in Dosay village and
Kausei, one in Dansari, and five in Kemiri
Village includes the Kemiri-2 of forestry resi-
dential (Table 1). Tetragonula sapiens was the
dominant species (21 colonies; 95 %) found
in all observation sites, while, Heterotrigona
planifrons (one colony; 5 %) was only found in
Kausei village.
Nesting sites: The dominant nesting site
of T. sapiens was in house foundations (nine
colonies, 43 %), followed by coconut tree cavi-
ties (four colonies, 19 %), house walls (three
colonies, 14 %), dry wood (two colonies,
10 %), fern tree (two colonies, 10 %), and
in the soil (one colony, 5 %). The nest of H.
planifrons (one colony) was found in a coconut
tree cavity.
Nest entrance characteristics: The nest
entrance tunnel of T. sapiens varied, being
horizontally elongated (4 colonies), oval (6
colonies), round (2 colonies), irregular (2 col-
onies), ellipses (4 colonies), and vertically
Fig. 1. Worker of two species of stingless bees found in Cycloop Mountains Nature Reserve. A. Tetragonula sapiens and
B. Heterotrigona planifrons.