Abstract
Corbiculates bees, Apini, are subdivided in four subtribes, Apina, Meliponina, Euglossina and Bombina, a monophyletic clade of Apinae (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Five phylogenetic hypotheses support Apini as monophyletic, even though the internal relationships are still controversial. Morphological and behavioral hypotheses suggest a single origin for the eusociality, with Apina and Meliponina…