In order to produce analyses of the distribution and its changes for the different species of bees of Mesoamerica, defined here as the region encompassing Mexico and the 7 Central American countries, we gathered digital records of bee specimens from museums, academic collections and private collectors. We also received some larger, aggregate datasets from individuals who had collected bee data for other purposes.
The database includes nearly 335,000 records of bee specimens collected around North America from 1842 to the present, including nearly 75,000 samples deposited at the collection of Ecosur. The whole set includes in particular data for 24,000 bumblebees, 52,000 stingless bees and 19,000 orchid bees, supporting ongoing analyses that will permit to classify different taxa on the IUCN red list of threatened species.
This databasing effort is led by the Bee Team of Ecosur and is still ongoing. It has benefited from contributions by more than 40 individuals and/ or institutions, and the data describe bee specimens held in at least 15 collections around the world. Below is a list of individuals and institutions that we gratefully acknowledge as direct contributors to this resource and to publications that are based on it. A full list of collections in which the specimens reside is available upon request.
Data contributors
Mexico
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur: Jorge Mérida, Philippe Sagot, Rémy Vandame
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: Ricardo Ayala (Estación de Biología, Chamela), Ismael Hinojosa (Instituto de Biología)
Universidad de Las Américas, Puebla: Carlos Vergara
Comisión Nacional para el Uso y el Conocimiento de la Biodiversidad
Guatemala
Universidad San Carlos (Colección de abejas nativas de Guatemala): Eunice Enríquez, Oscar Martínez
Costa Rica
Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
Brazil
MZUFBA (Laboratorio de Bionomia, Biogeografia e Sistematica de Insectos): Thiago Mahlmann
DZUP (Departamento de Zoologia da Universidade do Parana): Gabriel Melo
DBAI (Universidade de Brasilia): Antonio Aguilar
USA
University of Utah – United States Department of Agriculture: Terry Griswold
University of California, Davis (Bohart Museum of entomology): Lynn Kimsey, Robin Thorp
University of California, Berkeley (Essig Museum of Entomology): Peter Oboyski
University of California, Riverside (Entomology Research Museum): Douglas Yanega
California Academy of Sciences: Robert Zuparko
University of Kansas (Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology): Michael Engels, Victor Gonzalez, Jennifer Tomas
Smithsonian Museum: Sean Brady, Brian Harris
American Museum of Natural History: Jerome Rozen Jr., Eli Wyman, John Ascher
Natural History Museum Los Angeles County: Brian V. Brown
Illinois Natural History Survey: Dmitri Dmitriev
Museum of Southwestern Biology, New México: Karen Wright
Canada
York University, Toronto: Sheila Dumesh
UK
British Natural History Museum: Paul Williams, David Notton
France
Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle: Claire Villemant
Netherlands
Private collection, Amsterdam : Mr. Van Asperen de Boer
RMNH (Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Histoire) Leiden: Frederique Bakker
Germany
SDEI (Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut Müncheberg): Andreas Taeger, Stephan Blank
ZSM (Zoologische Staatssammlung München): Johannes Schuberth
Austria
OOL (Biologie Zentrum Linz des OO Landes Museum), Linz: Fritz Gusenleitner
Denmark
ZMUC (Zoological Museum University of Copenhagen): Lars Vilhelmsen
International
Global Biodiversity Information Facility