THE SOUTH-EASTERN DISTRIBUTION LIMIT OF Apis mellifera, A MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF THE HONEY BEES (Apis mellifera L.) OF SISTAN-BELUTSCHISTAN

Authors : Stefan FUCHS

Pages : 67-75

Doi:10.31467/uluaricilik.379492

View : 26 | Download : 9

Publication Date : 2017-04-28

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The western honeybee, Apis mellifera, covers an immense range of natural distribution. In contrast to the limits in the North, West and South defined by the sea, the continental limits in the East are far less clear. Here we present detailed morphometric data on the Bees of Sistan-Belutschistan in the far South-Eastern End of the A. mellifera distribution. These are of particular interest because they inhabit a comparatively narrow desert climate land strip separating the distribution range from the Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana. Samples from the area differed quite substantially from the nextneighboured Iran bee population, particularly by small body size, short hair, coloration patterns, and comparatively broad wings, but were clearly allocated to A. m. meda rather than to other representative A. mellifera subspecies. The study expands the South-Eastern range of A. m. meda by a particularly heat-adapted subpopulation, considerably narrowing the geographic gap to A. cerana in Pakistan. 
Keywords : Apis mellifera meda, distribution range, morphometry