Morphometry of stingless bee Tetragonula iridipennis smith in Jaipur, Rajasthan

Abstract

This study presents a morphometric analysis of Tetragonula iridipennis, collected from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur and Rajasthan, India. A total of 30 worker bees were analyzed, measuring 23 morphometric traits using a digital Magnus microscope. The key morphometric traits and their respective mean values (±S.D.) include: body length (3.93±0.14 mm), head length (1.48±0.02 mm), head breadth (1.69±0.07 mm), antennal length (1.91±0.05 mm), tongue length (0.81±0.19 mm), thorax length (1.53±0.04 mm), thorax breadth (1.66±0.03 mm), forewing length (3.71±0.09 mm), forewing breadth (1.31±0.11 mm), hind wing length (2.63±0.03 mm), hind wing breadth (0.66±0.03 mm), extent of hamuli (0.17±0.01 mm), and abdomen length (1.82±0.21 mm). Hind leg measurements include: coxa length (0.52±0.02 mm), coxa breadth (0.40±0.01 mm), femur length (1.04±0.03 mm), femur breadth (0.23±0.01 mm), tibia length (1.46±0.03 mm), tibia breadth (0.46±0.05 mm), basitarsus length (0.54±0.02 mm), and basitarsus breadth (0.24±0.03 mm). The detailed morphometric data provide insights into the species' anatomical stability and ecological adaptations, contributing valuable information for future stingless bee biodiversity and conservation research.