An integrative approach to delimit species in the Eulaema cingulata and Eulaema pseudocingulata pair (Hymenoptera: Apidae) using morphometric and molecular evidence

Abstract

I begin by thanking my parents, Adeilza and Joaquim, my favorite brother Elton and my dear uncle Jean, for always believing and trusting in me, for all support provided, for all love and dedication, and for always being available to help me with what it was necessary.Thank you for teaching me so much every day; I am a little piece of each one of you.To my advisor, Professor Carlos Brandão for allowing me to study in the laboratory associated with one of the most important entomological collections in Brazil. For his valuable consideration in this and all my drafts and for arranging the financial support that made possible my travel to USA. Thank you for always being ready to help me and to be willing to contribute in the best possible way.To my co-advisor, Dr. Kelli Ramos a thousand thanks. I thank her for all guidance over the years at the MZUSP. I thank her for trusting in my ability and for seeing in me someone to invest her time and knowledge in. I thank her for being always willing to help me, even if at eleven o'clock on a Sunday night. I thank her for her patience always (or almost always). I thank her also for the scolding me, without it I would not have learned that much, and also if I did not have her professional advice and for introducing me to her "abelhudos" friends. Thanks to her confidence I was able to let my mind fly away and conduct a study that I consider ambitious for a master's degree. I believed in my ability because she believed first in me. Thank you, dear Kelli, for not letting me give up. I will be forever grateful for you taking me to your home and for welcoming me with open arms by your family in one of the most difficult moments of the development of this work. Thank you for always trying to help me. Thank you for always being there and being an exceptional mentor. I learned a lot from you.To Dr. Margarita López-Uribe for accepting to collaborate with this work and for receiving me in her laboratory. Thank you, Dr. Margarita for your valuable contributions, for your patience in teaching me how to use Phyluce and sometimes deciphering countless problems, when I got lost and had no idea on what to do next. Thank you for providing one of the most important stages of this work. The Penn State period was certainly one of the most memorable moments of my life. I thank Michael Branstetter for the generation of the genomic data used in this work, for the "mini workshop" on analysis in Phyluce and for all the clarification of my doubts. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior -Brasil (CAPES) -Finance Code 001. "Penso no que faço, com fé. Faço o que tenho que fazer, com amor. Eu me esforço para ser melhor, pois bondade também se aprende. Mesmo quando tudo parecer desabar cabe a mim decidir entre rir e chorar, ir ou ficar, desistir ou lutar; porque descobri, no caminho incerto da vida que o mais importante é decidir."