First report of stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis Smith from Himachal Pradesh and resource partitioning studies in Hibiscus rosa chinensis

Stingless bees are important pollinators and honey producing bees that belong to order Hymenoptera like honeybees and are reported from different parts with their higher diversity in northeastern region of the country. A survey was conducted in July 2023 in the mid-hills (Solan district) and higher hills (Shimla district) of Himachal Pradesh to know the presence and diversity of stingless bees in these areas. Specimens were collected with the help of nylon sweeping net and brought to the laboratory for further study. Different morphological and morphometrical parameters were studied for identification. The resource partitioning studies were also conducted on China rose flower where a large variety of pollinators was observed and abundance of different visitors was recorded. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index was also calculated for the region. The collected specimens of stingless bees were identified as of Tetragonula iridipennis, which is the first record of stingless bees from Himachal Pradesh. The other insect visitors recorded on China rose were bumble bees, Bombus haemorrhoidalis, syrphid flies, Episyrphus balteatus, Metasyrphus confrator, Megachile bees, Megachile dysjuncta, halictid bees, Lasioglossum sp, Apis dorsata, A cerana, houseflies, butterflies, Pieris brassicae, Ceratina sp and ants. The diversity index revealed the higher diversity of bees in the region.