Microsatellite loci for stingless bees

The stingless bees are a eusocial, pantropical group of more than 400 species. Similar to honeybees, they usually have single queens, store honey, and have morphologically distinct workers and queens. However, they differ from honeybees in their social organization. Queens are produced in substantial numbers, then imprisoned, detained or killed if a vigorous queen is already present in the nest. Workers of most species may lay either male-producing or trophic eggs, often as part of a complex, highly ritualized provisioning and oviposition process which sometimes results in two eggs laid in a cell capable of supporting only one, so one larva cannibalizes the other. Whether behavioural conflict has a basis in genetic conflicts of interest is not known, partly because of the lack of genetic markers. Among the most desirable markers are microsatellites because of their high levels of polymorphism and codominant Mendelian inheritance. This report presents 33 novel microsatellite loci for stingless bees obtained from Melipona bicolor bicolor.