EDP Sciences Journals List
Home Document
Subscriber Authentication Point
Free access article

Issue Apidologie
Volume 39, Number 1, January-February 2008
Insights into Bee Evolution: A Tribute to Charles D. Michener
Page(s) 163 - 175
DOI 10.1051/apido:2007046
Published online 25 January 2008

Apidologie 39 (2008) 163-175
DOI: 10.1051/apido:2007046

Phylogenetic analysis of the corbiculate bee tribes based on 12 nuclear protein-coding genes (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apidae)

Atsushi Kawakita1, John S. Ascher2, Teiji Sota3, Makoto Kato1 and David W. Roubik4

1  Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
2  Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA
3  Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
4  Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Panama

(Received 2 July 2007 - Revised 3 October 2007 - Accepted 3 October 2007 - Published online 25 January 2008)

Abstract - The corbiculate bees comprise four tribes, the advanced eusocial Apini and Meliponini, the primitively eusocial Bombini, and the solitary or communal Euglossini. Recovering a robust phylogeny for the four tribes is of considerable importance for understanding the evolution of eusociality, yet previous morphological and molecular studies reached strikingly different conclusions. We study an expanded data set consisting of 12 nuclear genes to explore lines of support for the molecular hypothesis. Results corroborate previous molecular studies; support increases as more genes are added. Across genes, support for the molecular hypothesis is positively correlated with the number of informative sites and the relative substitution rate. Phylogenetic signals supporting the molecular tree rest almost entirely upon synonymous changes at the first and third codon positions. We discuss possible future approaches for resolving the frustratingly persistent corbiculate bee controversy.


Key words: advanced eusociality / bumble bee / corbiculate bee / honey bee / nuclear genes / orchid bee / phylogeny / stingless bee


© INRA, DIB-AGIB, EDP Sciences 2008


What is OpenURL?

The OpenURL standard is a protocol for transmission of metadata describing the resource that you wish to access. An OpenURL link contains article metadata and directs it to the OpenURL server of your choice. The OpenURL server can provide access to the resource and also offer complementary services (specific search engine, export of references...). The OpenURL link can be generated by different means.
  • If your librarian has set up your subscription with an OpenURL resolver, OpenURL links appear automatically on the abstract pages.
  • You can define your own OpenURL resolver with your EDPS Account. In this case your choice will be given priority over that of your library.
  • You can use an add-on for your browser (Firefox or I.E.) to display OpenURL links on a page (see http://www.openly.com/openurlref/). You should disable this module if you wish to use the OpenURL server that you or your library have defined.