Etymology of 33 Neotropical Stingless Bee Genera and 70 Melipona Species in the Tribe Meliponini Lepeletier, 1836 Named in the Period 1798–2007

An investigation was completed to review the etymologies of 33 stingless bee genera (1806–2005), including the extinct Proplebeia, and 80 Melipona taxa (1798–2012) – 70 species with 10 subspecies for M. bicolor, M. marginata, M. quadrifasciata, and M. seminigra – from the 391 valid names for species groups recognized in the chapter Meliponini Lepeletier, 1836, based on the original references they provided, and completed with further Greek and Latin research for the given names when the etymology was not included. Each genus was identified with the authority and the year of description, the country distributions, type species – the nominal species that represents a genus or subgenus – and the species. Brief bibliographic notes of the 12 meliponine taxonomists describing and discovering 1–16 genera – individually or co-authored – were our criteria for discussing the 33 genera. A few observations and facts were added to entertain the reader by using anecdotes, and the minute considerations involved in the classification process and discovery of new taxa naming just one group of living organisms like stingless bees.