Description of the cell provisioning and oviposition process of seven species of Plebeia Schwarz (Apidae, Meliponini), with notes on their phylogeny and taxonomy

The food Provisioning and Oviposition Process (POP) is described for seven species of Plebeia Schwarz. The data set obtained for these seven species w as compared to the information available in the literature for other Plebei a. A cladistic analysis was then applied. Twenty characters of brood area m orphology and POP sequences were selected and polarised using the genera Na nnotrigona and Paratrigona as outgroups. The resulting phylogenetic hypothe sis suggested that the subgenus Plebeia (Plebeia) is not monophyletic and s hould either be broken up or have the monotypic subgenus Schwarziana synony mised with Plebeia s. str.