About Scaptotrigona mexicana (Guérin-Méneville, 1844)
Each colony of Scaptotrigona mexicana consists of a queen, female workers, and males. Males of this species are haploid, and queens mate only once. As a result, these colonies remain reproductive year-round. S. mexicana is a stingless species that has strong, biting jaws. Queens of this species mate only once, and colonies typically form in areas where virgin queens settle. Male S. mexicana can distinguish between physogastric queens and virgin queens, which allows colonies to form in locations that give greater reproductive success. This species is distributed across Central America, ranging between 8th and 24th degrees northern latitude. It inhabits Southeastern Mexico, where it occurs alongside approximately 30 other bee species.
