The first draft genome sequence of Malaysian stingless bee, Heterotrigona itama (Apidae, Meliponinae)

Among known species of stingless bee in Malaysia, Haterotrigona itama is a valuable and recommended species for commercial honey production. However, new queens produced from wild colonies or domesticated are insufficient to meet the growing demand for colonies in the industry. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Heterotrigona itama to provide a better understanding on the molecular mechanism of queen differentiation in stingless bee.

在马来西亚已记录的无刺蜂（stingless bee）物种中，伊塔马异无刺蜂（Heterotrigona itama）是一种具有重要应用价值、适用于商业化蜂蜜生产的推荐物种。然而，从野生蜂群或人工驯养蜂群中繁育获得的新蜂王，无法满足该产业日益增长的蜂群需求。本研究报道了伊塔马异无刺蜂（Heterotrigona itama）的基因组草图序列，旨在为深入解析无刺蜂蜂王分化的分子机制提供理论支撑。