UNIVERSIDAD DEL TOLIMA

EVIDENCE OF APPEARANCE FOR Aethina tumida MURRAY (COLEOPTERA:

PP-191 NITIDULIDAE) IN Apis mellifera BEEHIVES IN COLOMBIA

GRUPO DE
INVESTIGACIONES
Guillermo Salamanca Grosso. Mónica Patricia Osorio Tangarife. Adrián Mauricio Barrera Cruz
Grupo de Investigaciones Mellitopalinológicas y Propiedades Fisicoquímicas de Alimentos. Facultad de Ciencias
Universidad del Tolima, 730006299 Ibagué – Tolima Colombia. Email: gsalaman@ut.edu.co MELLITOPALINOLÓGICAS Y PROPIEDADES
FISICOQUÍMICAS DE ALIMENTOS

This work was focused to evaluate the evidence regarding the presence of Aethina
tumida in Apis mellifera hives in Colombia. Field surveys were carried out to
diagnose and identify the presence of A. tumida in municipalities associated with
the coffee-growing zone, isolating beetle specimens when possible, and extracting
them from bee colonies in the brood chamber and fruit residues near the hives.
Specimens were analyzed considering taxonomic keys and morphometric
parameters, taking into account 18 variables. The presence of A. tumida was
established in the localities of Dosquebradas and Pereira, Risaralda. The keys and
morphometric variables agree with the specific structure of the specimen of A.
tumida for the head, prothorax, pterothorax, abdomen, appendages and weight,
unequivocal and differentiated characters concerning Cychramus luteus Fabricius
1787, which evidence the presence of the etiological agent. The findings after the
capture and analysis of the small beetles confirm their presence in Apis mellifera
hives in the Colombian coffee land region.
When monitoring the bee colonies in order to identify the PECs, we were able to
establish two infestation foci, one in the Alto del Oso village in the municipality
of Dos Quebradadas (1930 meters above sea level, a prehumid forest zone),
thermal sensation 17 ◦C, average precipitation 1387 mm/year. The mean values
for body length (length x width) in females is slightly larger than in males (5.85 ±
0.08 x 3.39 ± 0.06 mm and 5.60 ± 0.09 x 3.28 ± 0.07 mm). Head size in females
is 0.87 ± 0.04 mm and in males 0.66 ± 0.03 mm. The structures of the
prothorax, pterothorax and abdomen are smaller in males. The size of the head
width is 1.40 ± 0.04 vs. 1.53 ± 0.06 mm and the prothorax is 3.15 ± 0.09 vs.
3.32 ± 0.07 mm. The weight of adult females is 14.1 ± 0.05 mg and males 12.2 ±
0.10 mg, with males being lower than females. Four branches with distinctly
different variables.

Around the world, over the years, a great diversity of species that invade the years,
a great diversity of species that invade the hives of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera:

Morphometric variables
Apidae), generating important alterations and new epizootic and new
epizootiologies that affect the stability and ecosystemic and ecosystemic dynamics
of their habitat, often causing important causing, on many occasions, important
economic losses, not only in not only in biological material, but also in the honey
and pollen and pollen harvests by reducing productive yields.

With respect to observations by taxonomic keys, in beetles it is clear that the ventral and
dorsal part that the ventral part and the dorsum of PECs have a pair of elytra, which
correspond have a pair of elytra, which correspond to each of the rigid wings
each of the stiff wings arranged as protection, where the scutellum protection, where the
scutellum, pronotum, suture, apex and apex are suture, apex and sutural stria, which are
unmistakable signs for Aethina tumida Murray 1867 (Coleoptera:
Nitidulidae). The larvae have a large head, with protuberances along the body, measuring
1.60 x 9.40 mm (length x width). They presented slightly yellowish shades, lengths between
10 to 12 mm and width between 1.4 to 1.6 mm. Presence of two dorsal and spiny grooves in
each segment of the thorax and abdomen, no pseudopods are evident on the ventral side of
the abdominal segments.

The development of this work involved field activities with observation excursions to
beekeeping areas established in Langstroth type hives in the Colombian coffee-growing region.
Premontane humid forest and very humid premontane forest areas were visited in Caicedonia,
Cartago and Sevilla (Valle del Cauca), Armenia, Calarcá, Circasia, Génova, Montenegro,
Quimbaya and Salento, (Quindío), Dosquebradas, Pereira and Santa Rosa de Cabal (Risaralda),
in the period from March 2018 to July 2021. Suspected specimens of Aethina tumida were
captured inside the hives only in the sector of La Cafelia in the locality of Cerritos, Pereira and
Vereda Alto del Oso in Dosquebradas, Risaralda. Larvae associated with the activity of these
insects were also collected. The specimens, in different morphological stages, were placed in
70-volume alcohol and conditioned in 15 mL falcon tubes, which were kept at 4ºC in a
refrigerator for later analysis.
The mean values for the morphometric variables in Aethina tumida are as follows
Annten
Head a

Three pairs
of legs

Abdomen

Ventral view Adult

Adult
Dorsal view
Mandible
Palpos

Anntena
Head Head

Protorax
Protorax

Pterotorax

Elitro

Abdomen

Morphometric characterizations were carried out in order to determine the full dimension of
the species A. tumida, since there are no quantifiable measurements described. In a
complementary manner, taxonomic keys were applied to specify morphological characteristics
The different specimens were observed under a stereoscope (LeycaTM arranged with cold light
source, binocular head, 10x WF eyepieces, zoom range 0.7x - 3x with 7x-30x magnification.The
morphometric parameters were evaluated on 18 variables as there was no data of this type for
the specimen: V1 (L. Head), V2 (L. Prothorax), V3 (L. Pterothorax), V4 (L. Abdomen), V5 (L.
Elytra), V6 (A. Head), V7 (A. Prothorax), V8 (L. Anterior femur), V9 (L. Anterior tibia), V10
(L. Tarsus+Anterior claw),V11(L. Middle femur), V12 (L. Middle tibia), V13 (L. Tarsus+Middle
claw), V14 (L. Hind femur), V15 (L. Hind tibia), V16 (L. Tarsus+Hind claw), V17 (Total
length), V18 (Total width).
V1 (L. Head). V2 (L. Prothorax) V3 (L. Pterothorax). V4 (L. Abdomen). V5 (L. Elytra). V6 (A. Head). V7 (A. Prothorax). V8 (L. Anterior femur). V9 (L. Anterior tibia).
V10 (L. Tarsus+Anterior nail). Anterior nail). V11 (L. middle femur). V12 (L. Middle tibia). V13 (L. Tarsus+Medial nail). V14 (L. Posterior femur). V15 (hind tibia). V16
(L. Tarsus+Posterior nail). V17 (Total length). V18 (Total width).
The findings in this work, following the capture and laboratory laboratory analysis of the collected beetles,
allowed a taxonomic and morphometric evaluation of the specimens and a positive identification of A.
tumida as a host of bee hives in the Colombian coffee-growing zone.
The authors would like to thank the staff of the Mellitopalynological Research and Physicochemical
Properties Mellitopalinological Research and Physicochemical Properties of Food and Physicochemical
Properties of Food -LIPFA- for the work carried out in morphometric evaluations.