Morphomeric analysis of the dwarf honey bee Apis florea Fabricius, 1787 in Thailand
2002
Chaiyawong, T.(Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok (Thailand). Faculty of Science. Department of Biology) | Wongsiri, S.(Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok (Thailand). Faculty of Science. Department of Biology) | Deowanish, S.(Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok (Thailand). Faculty of Science. Department of Biology)
Apis florae Fabricius, 1787, is a honey bee species native to Thailand. Few data on the morphometrics of this species have been reported. Worker bees of A. florae from different locations in Thailand were randomly collected, with fifteen bees per colony from fifty colonies. These bees were preserved in 70 percent alcohol until they were dissected. The nine body parts selected were: proboscis, antennae, forewings, hindwings, hind legs, the third and sixth sternites, and the third and fourth tergites. These parts were mounted on slides. Measurements of width, length and angle of 22 characters were carried out using a stereo microscope and recorded into a computer. Factor analysis grouped the 14 characters of worker bees into four factors: Factor 1-characters associated with size, hind legs and antennae of the honey bees, Factor2-lengths of wing veins and forewings, Factor 3-numbers of hamuli and angle 37 of venation, and Factor 4-angle 34 of venation. The results of factor and cluster analyses using 22 characters revealed that A. florae of Thailand formed one group. Only 4 characters: length of the radial cell of the forewing (RCL), length of the metatarsus (ML), total length of the 3rd sternite (SL3) and total length of the antenna (AL) can be used to separate A. florae collected from islands from those of the mainland using Student-Newman-Keuls Statistics. This might be explained by behaviors of A. florae, such as seasonal migration, swarming, and absconding, that may result in these bees being distributed very widely and rapidly throughout the country, rather than being restricted to local populations.
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