Tetragonula iridipennis

Tetragonula iridipennis
A hive of Tetragonula iridipennis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Tetragonula
Species:	T. iridipennis
Binomial name
Tetragonula iridipennis Smith, 1854
It is found in India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia
Synonyms
Trigona iridipennis Smith, 1854 Trigona (Tetragonula) iridipennis Smith, 1854 Trigona (Heterotrigona) iridipennis Smith, 1854[1] Melipona iridipennis Auctt.

The Indian stingless bee or dammar bee, Tetragonula iridipennis, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae, subfamily Apinae. It was first described by Frederick Smith in 1854 who found the species in what is now the island of Sri Lanka.^[2] Many older references erroneously placed this species in Melipona, an unrelated genus from the New World,^[3] and until recently it was placed in Trigona, therefore still often mistakenly referred to as Trigona iridipennis. For centuries, colonies of T. iridipennis have been kept in objects such as clay pots so that their highly prized medicinal honey can be utilized.^[2]