Population structure and classification of Apis cerana

• Main Authors: Sarah E Radloff, Colleen Hepburn, H Randall Hepburn, Stefan Fuchs, Soesilawati Hadisoesilo, Ken Tan, Michael S Engel, Viktor Kuznetsov
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Indian; taiga
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1087.5120; http://www.zin.ru/Animalia/Coleoptera/pdf/Radloff10.pdf

Abstract -Multivariate morphometric analyses of Apis cerana Fabricius, 1793 across its full geographical range were performed. Principal components plots did not reveal distinct morphoclusters. Further substructuring of the principal component plots could not initially be derived but only by introducing local labelling did it reveal six main morphoclusters. We apply geographically based common epithets to the morphoclusters and designate them as: as "Northern cerana", "Himalayan cerana" "Indian plains cerana" "Indochinese cerana" "Philippine cerana" and "Indo-Malayan cerana". A. cerana naturally occurs in climatic zones ranging from rainforest, savanna, steppe, grasslands and deciduous forest to taiga. The distributions of the morphoclusters are related to these physiographic and climatic factors. The taxonomy of A. cerana is formally revised and synonymous specific and infraspecific names summarized. Apis cerana / subspecies / morphometrics / biogeography