{
  "abstract": "Background: Most existing knowledge about bee biodiversity comes from temperate regions, where diversity is presumed highest—yet substantial data gaps across the tropics confound this pattern. Checklists are critical for documenting species presence, identifying knowledge gaps, and guiding conservation. We present the first comprehensive bee checklist for Colombia, a country in tropical northern South America that serves as a key biogeographic bridge between Central and South America. We hypothesize that Colombia’s complex topography, its position at the intersection of multiple biogeographic regions, and its partial Gondwanan origin contribute to exceptionally high bee diversity and endemism.\n\nMethods: We built a network of local entomological collections to compile specimen data ( n = 62,158), combined with occurrence records from public datasets ( n = 25,520) and species records reported in the taxonomic literature ( n = 297). Our objectives were to: (1) synthesize the first bee species checklist for Colombia and their genus-level biological traits (ecoregional distribution, nesting habitat, sociality), (2) characterize diversity patterns at the department level using species richness, Shannon index, and weighted endemism, (3) estimate undescribed species via rarefaction curves, and (4) compare species richness and phylogenetic diversity (Faith’s phylogenetic diversity, mean pairwise distance (MPD), mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD) and standardized effect sizes of MPD and MNTD) with countries of Gondwanan origin (Brazil, Chile) versus those in the Holarctic region (USA).\n\nResults: We report 738 species across 123 genera and five families, including 246 new country records and 140 endemic species (19% of total fauna). Sampling effort was highly uneven: 41% of the records were concentrated in the Andean region, while xeric areas—where highest diversity is expected—remain critically undersampled. Species in the family Apidae dominated assemblages (69%), and the Andes ecoregion held the highest richness and endemism. Biological traits across the 738 species showed that solitary (57%) and above-ground nesting (57%) strategies predominate. Accumulation curves suggested that ∼26% of the bee fauna remains undescribed or unreported. Phylogenetic analyses did not support the hypothesis of higher diversity in Colombia relative to other countries of Gondwanan or Holarctic origin. We also found weak support for the relationship between species richness and geographic area across countries.\n\nConclusions: This study provides essential baseline knowledge for ecological, taxonomic, and conservation research of Neotropical bees. Geographic sampling biases highlight urgent needs for surveys in undersampled regions, especially xeric ecosystems. The multi-institutional network developed here demonstrates the value of collaborative frameworks for biodiversity documentation in megadiverse tropical regions and lays the foundation for long-term pollinator monitoring and conservation.",
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  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America",
    "Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil",
    "Laboratorio de Abejas Silvestres LABUN, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia",
    "Programa de Ecosistemas y Recursos Naturales, Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas SINCHI, Bogotá D.C, Colombia",
    "Undergraduate Biology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States of America",
    "Biodiversity Outreach Network, Flagstaff, AZ, United States of America",
    "Grupo Biodiversidad y Ecologia de Abejas Silvestres (BEAS), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Cajicá, Cundinamarca, Colombia",
    "Semillero SEIRPA, Grupo de Sistemática Molecular, Laboratorio de Entomología, Departamento de Biología, Pontifica Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia",
    "Museo Entomológico Francisco Luis Gallego, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia",
    "Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia",
    "Grupo de investigación Biología de Organismos Tropicales-BIOTUN, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia",
    "Facultad de Ingeniería Agronómica, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia",
    "Museo de Entomología de la Universidad del Valle, Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia",
    "Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil",
    "Área de Entomologia, Museu de História Natural Capão da Imbuia, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil",
    "Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia",
    "Mestrando em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil",
    "Departamento de Biología, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Cauca, Colombia",
    "Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia",
    "Grupo Bioforense, Facultad de derecho y ciencias forenses, Coleccion entomologica, Tecnológico de Antioquia institucion Universitaria, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia",
    "Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia",
    "Departamento de Ciencias Agrícola, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Palimara, Valle del Cauca, Colombia",
    "Programa de Biología, Universidad de Cartagena, Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia",
    "Colecciones de Entomología e Invertebrados - Centro de Colecciones y Gestión de Especies, Dirección de Conocimiento, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Villa de Leyva, Boyaca, Colombia",
    "Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America",
    "Colección de Insectos, Universidad del Quindio, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia",
    "Grupo de Entomología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia",
    "Red de Diversidad Biológica del Occidente Mexicano, Centro Regional del Bajío, Instituto de Ecología A.C, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico",
    "Colecciones Biológicas, Universidad CES, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia",
    "Colección Taxonómica Nacional de Insectos “Luis María Murillo” (CTNI), Corporacion Colombiana de Investigacíon Agropecuaria (Agrosavia), Tibaitatá, Cundinamarca, Colombia",
    "Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America"
  ],
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  "author_total": 46,
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  "doi": "10.7717/peerj.21684",
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  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
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      "1105|Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny"
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  "pdf_url": "https://peerj.com/articles/21684.pdf",
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  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "PeerJ",
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      "origin": "openalex:1105|Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny",
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  "title": "The first annotated checklist of the bees of Colombia reveals an overlooked diversity and areas with major data deficiencies",
  "title_text": "The first annotated checklist of the bees of Colombia reveals an overlooked diversity and areas with major data deficiencies",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:47Z",
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