The endemic range of the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata Lepeletier extends from the southern most state in Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, up to the state of Paraíba, where it originally inhabited the Atlantic Rain Forest. Two subspecies have been morphologically recognized based on the tergal band pattern (yellow stripes across the abdomen), M. q. quadrifasciata and M. q. anthidioides. The objective of the present study was to characterize restriction site variation in the mitochondrial DNA of each subspecies. Four colonies of each subspecies were sampled. One individual per colony was used for DNA extraction and further analysis through amplification of nine fragments of the mitochondrial genome and digestion with 13 restriction enzymes (PCR+RFLP). Three enzymes showed restriction pattern differences between the subspecies. Those differences will be useful to determine the maternal origin of hybrids colonies, which may occur naturally or due to colony transportation among breeders.
Restriction enzyme; polymorphism; PCR+RLFP; mtDNA
