The tenants of the building: The melittophile community composition of the Peruvian stingless bee Melipona eburnea (Apidae: Meliponini)

Stingless bees, like many other hymenopteran hosts, have long-standing evolutionary and ecological relationships with melittophiles, although these relationships are poorly understood. Melipona eburnea is a one of the most kept stingless bees in the Peruvian Amazon. Also known as “Naronto”, M. eburnea is managed for economic and spiritual purposes by Indigenous communities. This study aimed to survey and identify the complex community of arthropods that inhabit the nests of M. eburnea. Live collection of melittophiles from wild and managed nests was conducted across the country. Work on meliponine and melittophile integrative taxonomy including morphological and molecular data was conducted. A comprehensive picture of the community structure of meliponines and melittophiles provides an enhanced understanding of meliponine ecology to aid in management and conservation efforts.