First record of a tear-drinking stingless bee Lisotrigona cacciae (Nurse) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini), from the central hills of Sri Lanka

Presently, a single species of stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apinae: Meliponini) is known to occur throughout Sri Lanka. Recently, during field studies in central Sri Lanka, a second genus and a species has been recorded for the island. The minute species, Lisotrigona cacciae (Nurse), is of a rare genus previously known only from northern Borneo and scattered locations in mainland southern Asia. More importantly, this species belongs to a peculiar group of tiny bees that are lachryphagous, feeding on tears secreted from the eyes of mammals, birds, and some reptiles. This is a highly specialised behaviour and biology that remains poorly understood, and generally differs from the well known pollen- and nectar-feeding ethology of most other bees. The discovery of this species provides opportunities for future research into the biology of these bees, and elevates the total bee fauna of Sri Lanka to 149 species in 39 genera.