Euglossa hyacinthina
Euglossa hyacinthina, is a species of the orchid bee tribe Euglossini in the family Apidae. With a tongue that can get up to as long as 4 cm, this orchid bee species is found in Central America. Living in a neotropical climate, E. hyacinthina has adapted to hot and humid weather. The bee has darkly shaded, translucent wings and a metallic, glossy blue skeleton. "Medium sized, large body stature, long-tongued, and fast," E. hyacinthina is characterized by its eusociality and unique solitary life-style. Additionally, this species has no worker or queen bees and females dominate in an atypical social hierarchy. The many individual nests of E. hyacinthina reveal the sociality of the bees, and the origin of this can be discovered by studying these nests. E. hyacinthina may also be part of mimicry complexes within Euglossa. Taxonomy and phylogeny Euglossa is a genus of a larger tribe known as euglossine bees. Euglossini (orchid bees) is a tribe of Apinae and are mostly characterized as solitary as they display little social behavior. Named after their 4 cm long tongues, euglossines are commonly known as long-tongued bees. The tribe Euglossini is a diverse and very widespread neotropical taxon that comprises "5 genera and nearly 200 species," one of the genera being the Euglossa. It is the largest genus in the tribe with over 129 identified species including E. hyacinthina. Among the distinct species of euglossine bees, the genus Euglossa is known for its bright, metallic skeleton. In neotropical forests, euglossines make up to 25% of the total bee population. The Neotropical Euglossa bees are close relatives of Apini (honey bees) and Bombini (bumblebees). Researchers have identified from four genes (16S, 28S, cytochrome b, LW Rh) that Bombini and Meliponini (stingless bees) form a clade, but there is uncertainty on whether Euglossini is a sister group to either Apini or Bombini/Meliponini. There are five genera of Euglossini and five hypotheses have been formulated on the relationships of these genera (Aglae, Exaerete, Euglossa, Eufriesea, and Eulaema). No definite conclusion has been reached because of the incongruency at the root. The most strongly supported hypothesis is that Aglae is the base group with Eufriesea and Eulaema as the sister group to an Exaerete and Euglossa clade or to either of the latter genera. Description and identification The image above displays the glossy metallic blue that E. hyacinthina is known for. The wings are of a darker shade and translucent, with females having pollen baskets in their hind legs. A study done that was published in 2003 by Elizabeth Capaldi showed that females and males generally display monomorphism, with the exception of the thorax. In female bees the thorax was not only larger when compared to male bees but also had a small patch of elongated, plumous hair. Because this species is of the order Hymenoptera, there was a significant deviation from the 1:1 ratio; in fact, 82% of the population consisted of females. Female orchid bees can control their offspring's gender, which can skew the