Taxonomic Revision and Identification Keys for the Giant Honey Bees

Abstract

AbstractThe taxonomy and phylogeny of the giant honey bees (Apis; subgenusMegapis) are still controversial and unresolved. The species boundaries within the subgenus are unclear and some species that are recognized on the basis of genetic differences lack supporting morphological characters. Two species are now well accepted:Apis dorsataF. of tropical regions of Asia andApis laboriosaSmith that inhabits the foothills of Himalaya and neighboring mountain ranges. In addition, researchers have suggested that the two allopatric populations of giant honey bees that inhabit Sulawesi, Indonesia (A. binghamiCockerell) and the oceanic Philippine islands (A. breviligulaMaa) as well as the South Indian form also deserve species status. We conducted a taxonomic study based on morphological characters ofMegapisfrom throughout Asia. Our study confirms thatApis laboriosais a distinct species based on numerous morphological characters. Moreover,A. dorsataof mainland Asia differs from the two island taxa based on coloration, ocellus size, and the spacing of compound eyes and ocelli. We found no evidence thatbreviligulaof the Philippines has a distinctively short tongue, and report only one minor character (the shape of sternum 5) that differed statistically between bees from Sulawesi and the Philippines. We conclude that the bees from these islands represent a single morphological species,A. binghami, with two subspecies,A. b. binghamiandA. b. breviligula.Apis dorsatafrom the Andaman Islands are smaller than but conspecific with those of mainland Asia. We found no morphological autapomorphies in the giant honey bees of southern India known to differ in mtDNA fromA. dorsatafrom elsewhere in mainland Asia. We provide a taxonomic keys to workers and drones within the subgenusMegapis.