Plebeina armata
species of insect
Plebeina armata, the mopane bee or mopane fly, is a very small gnat-like stingless bee species native to Africa, and the only member of its genus. It lives in savannah of Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroun, D.R. Congo (Shaba), Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Botswana, South Africa and Namibia.
It congregates about the moist tissue of the eyes, nose and mouth to find water in the dry environment where it lives, and is therefore sometimes called a "sweat bee". It is active only during the day and retreats at night. It also has the ability to produce a dark and strong honey.
References
External links
"Plebeina armata". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Plebeina armata” is species of insect. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Plebeina, armata and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of insect” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q13590946. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Plebeina armata”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Plebeina armata primary sources, Plebeina armata archive and Plebeina research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Plebeina armata”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Plebeina armata” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.