Stingless bees of the genus Nannotrigona Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) in Colombia.

Nannotrigona Cockerell is one of the few stingless bee genera widely distributed and commonly encountered throughout the Neotropical region. Some species are abundant and managed in meliponiculture. However, the identity and number of species occurring in some countries or areas is almost entirely unknown. Herein we reviewed the species of Nannotrigona in Colombia, a South American country with literature records indicating the presence of either one or five species of this genus. Appraisal of museum specimens revealed the existence of the following eight species, three of which we describe as new: N. camargoi Rasmussen Gonzalez, N. gaboi n. sp., N. melanocera (Schwarz), N. mellaria (Smith), N. occidentalis n. sp., N. pilosa n. sp., N. schultzei (Friese), and N. tristella (Cockerell).We describe and figure the male of N. camargoi, N. gaboi, N. melanocera, and N. pilosa. In addition, we provide comparative diagnoses, a key to species, and new geographical records.