Resumen:
Native stingless bees, Meliponini, are the only social bees that produce honey in addition to honeybees. These bees have been
managed in meliponiculture and for crop pollination. In Ecuador, meliponiculture studies are scarce and limited by the lack of species
recognition. Traditionally the taxonomic recognition of the species is based on morphological characteristics. In Hymenoptera, the
wing shape has proven to be a valuable tool in combination with traditional characters. Due to this, the wing shape was evaluated
for discriminating morphospecies in Ecuador’s Amazonian meliponaries. A total of 127 specimens grouped into six genera were
analyzed: Melipona (Melikerria) sp., Melipona (Michmelia) sp1., Melipona (Michmelia) sp2., Tetragonisca sp., Paratrigona sp., Nannotrigona
sp., Scaura sp., and Plebeia sp. The most significant differences are located at the vein intersection: cubital and cubital 1 (Cu + Cu1),
posterior margin of the marginal cell (r and Rs), and basal and posterior marginal cell (M and Rs).
