Fig 1.
It illustrates the location of agricultural estates within the municipal boundaries of Totoró, ranging in elevation from 2750 to 2500 m.a.s.l. and distributed across the Departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca. The mapping was generated using Geographic Information Systems Laboratory (GIS) National University of Colombia Palmira headquarters. (2024) and Created with BioRender.com.
Fig 2.
Angucho (Bejaria resinosa) (A); White point grass (Rhynchospora colorata) (B); Achira (Canna indica) (C); Papunga (Bidens pilosa) (D), Tree tomato crops (Solanum betaceum) (E); Floral tree (Meriania nobilis) (F); Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) (G); purple matico (Aristeguietia lamiifolia) (H); and Mora castilla (Rubus glaucus) (I). Created with BioRender.com.
Fig 3.
Habitats of wild bees (Apini) in Miraflores–Totoró. (A); Positioning of P. peckolti Meliponini wild bees on a beach milk tree, P. (Euphorbia laurifolia]) (B); Nest of wild bee specimens (Meliponini) in La Palma (Finca El Recuerdo) (C); Nest of P. peckolti wild bees (Meliponini) in Miraflores–Totoró, (D); Location of a wild hive on a peach tree, Prunus persica, P. peckolti (E); Nest of wild bee specimens P. eutaeniata (Meliponini) in Miraflores, Bellavista village, (F), P. eutaeniata over Persicaria nepalensis (G), Mantico morado, Ipomea purpurea (I), Rubus glaucus (H). Created with BioRender.com.
Fig 4.
Infestation by Leptus (L) alberti.n. spp, characterized by a black tegument with brown coloring. The hind legs femur displays a mite attached to the trochanter (A). P. peckolti features a malar mouth with a small lateral tooth and spoon-shapedarea (B), spoon-shaped corbiculae (C), scutellum without a medial notch (D), and a propodeum larger, measuring 1–1.5 times the scutellum’s length; notable hairs present on both ventral and dorsal thoracic areas (E). The wings exhibit a reddish membrane with a pentagon (3-4-5-6-7) (F), with overall dimensions ranging between 5.5 and 6.3 mm [15]. Created with BioRender.com.
Fig 5.
Paratrigona eutaeniata. H.25.P01.I018.
Mite attached to the lateral thorax (A); malar with four denticles (B); tibia in a triangular shape (C); ocellus and exposed alveolar areas; yellow clypei and two yellow stains in the shape of an inverse comma, at the lateral orbicular margin from medium ocellus (D); lack of medial notch (E); hexagon-shaped wings (F) [15]. Created with BioRender.com.
Table 1.
Taxonomical identification key for the larvae stages of L. alberti n. sp., parasitizing free-living colonies of A. mellifera, P. peckolti, P. eutaeniataand T. angustula in Totoró–Cauca, and Valle del Cauca–Pacific of Colombia.
We employed taxonomic keys in the Neotropical regions [27,30–32].
Fig 6.
Specimens were collected from free-living colonies of A. mellifera (H.01.P01.I189), P. peckolti (H.04.P02.I178) and P. eutaeniata (H.25.P01.I018). The collected material underwent microscopic examination at 20X, 40X, and 100X magnifications: (H.01.P01.I189-SL, H.01.P01.I189-SL2, H.04.P02.I178-SL1, H.25.P01.I018-SL1). Scutum without such setae (subgenus Leptus), Setae PL on scutum (A); wide shield without cuticular lines, moderately chitinized, with slight porosity but without striae (stippling), equilateral triangle shape (A); Palp genu with one or two setae, palp femur with only one Se (B), Palp genu with one seta (B), Between coxae I and II two sternale, between coxae II-III not more than four setae (C), AL shorter than PL, ciliate (5D), Genu III without solenidia (E), Genu I with one solenidion (F), Tibia III with one solenidion (G), Dorsum of the idiosome with about 48 ciliated setae (H), Genu II without solenidia (I), Ti III < 400 (J), Ti III< 190 (J), AW > 66 (K), AW > 88 (K), Circular eyes, 16.47 μm wide, on small oval or pyriform ocular sclerites (K), Tibia I with two specialized setae (L), Striated tarsus I (M), (N), (Ñ), naked hypostomala, with two hypostomal setae (O), PW 120, Ti I 122, anterior border of scutum almost straight (A). Created with BioRender.com.
Table 2.
Data of larvae of L. alberti n. sp. Parasitizing feral A. mellifera, P. peckolti, P. eutaeniataand T. angustula in Totoró, Cauca, and Valle del Cauca—Pacific of Colombia.
Table 3.
Species of Leptus Latreille, 1796 documented in South America.