Apis andreniformis
Encyclopedia
Apis andreniformis or the black dwarf honey bee is a species of honey bee
whose native habitat is the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia
.
A. andreniformis was the fifth honey bee species to be described of the seven known species of Apis
, and its biology, geographic distribution, and its specific status was recognized by many authors. However, the actual identity of the species was poorly understood, and only recently has it been diagnostically separated from its sister species Apis florea
since there are sites where both A. andreniformis and A. florea live conspecifically
. Both species are distributed throughout tropical and subtropical Asia, including Southeast China
, India
, Burma, Laos
, Vietnam
, Malaysia, Indonesia
(Java
and Borneo
), and the Philippines
(Palawan
).
These two species together comprise the subgenus Micrapis, and are the most primitive of the living species of Apis, reflected in their small colony
size, and simple nest
construction. The exposed single combs are built on branches of shrubs and small trees. The forager
bees do not perform a gravity oriented waggle dance
on the vertical face of the comb to recruit nestmates as in the domesticated Apis mellifera and other species. Instead they perform the dance on the horizontal upper surface where the comb wraps around the supporting branch. The dance is a straight run pointing directly to the source of pollen
or nectar that the forager has been visiting. In all other Apis species, the comb on which foragers dance is vertical, and the dance is not actually directed towards the food source.
and on the dorsolateral (back and side) surface of the basitarsus. (See Arthropod leg
). Additionally, the pigmentation of A. andreniformis is blackish, while that of A. florea is yellowish. Other distinguishing characteristics include a difference respective cubital index
es: A. andreniformis has an index of 6.37, and A. florea one of 2.86. Also, the proboscis
of A. andreniformis has a length of 2.80 mm, while that of A. florea is 3.27 mm. This physical difference contributes to a division in the distribution of naturally occurring nectar between the two species. Finally, there are differences in the barbs of the stinger, and in the basitarsus of the drones.
and banana
plants, in shrubs, and in bushes such as coffee
and tea
. They can be built between 1 to 15 meters from the ground, although the average altitude is 2.5 m. The honeycomb
typically ranges from 70 to 90 mm in size.
A. andreniformis is generally more defensive than A. florea: it is known to attack when there are disturbances 3 to 4 meters from the hive.
Euvarroa. However, A. andreniformis is attacked by the species Euvarroa wongsirii, while Euvarroa sinhai preys on A. florea and colonies of Apis mellifera that are imported. The two species of Euvarroa have morphological and biological differences: while E. wongsirii has a triangular body shape and a length of 47 to 54 micrometre
s, E. sinhai has a more circular shape and a length of 39 to 40 micrometres.
Honey bee
Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis...
whose native habitat is the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
A. andreniformis was the fifth honey bee species to be described of the seven known species of Apis
APIS
APIS may refer to:*Advance Passenger Information System*Armour Piercing Incendiary Shells...
, and its biology, geographic distribution, and its specific status was recognized by many authors. However, the actual identity of the species was poorly understood, and only recently has it been diagnostically separated from its sister species Apis florea
Apis florea
The dwarf honey bee or the red dwarf honey bee, Apis florea, is one of two species of small, wild honey bees of southern and southeastern Asia. It has a much wider distribution than its sister species, Apis andreniformis....
since there are sites where both A. andreniformis and A. florea live conspecifically
Conspecificity
Conspecificity is a concept in biology. Two or more individual organisms, populations, or taxa are conspecific if they belong to the same species....
. Both species are distributed throughout tropical and subtropical Asia, including Southeast China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Burma, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Malaysia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
), and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
).
Classification
This together with A. florea is the most plesiomorphic honeybee species alive. Separating roughly about the Bartonian (some 40 mya or slightly later) from the other lineages, among themselves they do not seem to have diverged a long time before the Neogene.(Arias & Sheppard 2005)These two species together comprise the subgenus Micrapis, and are the most primitive of the living species of Apis, reflected in their small colony
Colony (biology)
In biology, a colony reference to several individual organisms of the same species living closely together, usually for mutual benefit, such as stronger defense or the ability to attack bigger prey. Some insects live only in colonies...
size, and simple nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
construction. The exposed single combs are built on branches of shrubs and small trees. The forager
Foraging
- Definitions and significance of foraging behavior :Foraging is the act of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce...
bees do not perform a gravity oriented waggle dance
Waggle dance
Waggle dance is a term used in beekeeping and ethology for a particular figure-eight dance of the honey bee. By performing this dance, successful foragers can share with their hive mates information about the direction and distance to patches of flowers yielding nectar and pollen, to water...
on the vertical face of the comb to recruit nestmates as in the domesticated Apis mellifera and other species. Instead they perform the dance on the horizontal upper surface where the comb wraps around the supporting branch. The dance is a straight run pointing directly to the source of pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
or nectar that the forager has been visiting. In all other Apis species, the comb on which foragers dance is vertical, and the dance is not actually directed towards the food source.
Physical characteristics
The most significant morphological characteristic of the species are black stripes on the legs, specifically on the tibiaTibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
and on the dorsolateral (back and side) surface of the basitarsus. (See Arthropod leg
Arthropod leg
The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. Many of the terms used for arthropod leg segments are of Latin origin, and may be confused with terms for bones: coxa , trochanter , femur, tibia, tarsus, ischium, metatarsus, carpus, dactylus ,...
). Additionally, the pigmentation of A. andreniformis is blackish, while that of A. florea is yellowish. Other distinguishing characteristics include a difference respective cubital index
Cubital index
Cubital index is the ratio of two of the wing vein segments of honeybees. The cubital index is used in morphology, the study of form and structure, one way to differentiate species and sub species of living organisms. The pattern of the veins of the fore wings is specific for each breed of bees. ...
es: A. andreniformis has an index of 6.37, and A. florea one of 2.86. Also, the proboscis
Proboscis
A proboscis is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In simpler terms, a proboscis is the straw-like mouth found in several varieties of species.-Etymology:...
of A. andreniformis has a length of 2.80 mm, while that of A. florea is 3.27 mm. This physical difference contributes to a division in the distribution of naturally occurring nectar between the two species. Finally, there are differences in the barbs of the stinger, and in the basitarsus of the drones.
Ecology
A andreniformis nests in quiet forests, generally in darker areas where there is 25 to 30% of normal sunlight. The hive is usually made in branches of bambooBamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
plants, in shrubs, and in bushes such as coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
and tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
. They can be built between 1 to 15 meters from the ground, although the average altitude is 2.5 m. The honeycomb
Honeycomb
A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal waxcells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen.Beekeepers may remove the entire honeycomb to harvest honey...
typically ranges from 70 to 90 mm in size.
A. andreniformis is generally more defensive than A. florea: it is known to attack when there are disturbances 3 to 4 meters from the hive.
Parasites
The main parasites of both A. andreniformis and A. florea belong to genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Euvarroa. However, A. andreniformis is attacked by the species Euvarroa wongsirii, while Euvarroa sinhai preys on A. florea and colonies of Apis mellifera that are imported. The two species of Euvarroa have morphological and biological differences: while E. wongsirii has a triangular body shape and a length of 47 to 54 micrometre
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
s, E. sinhai has a more circular shape and a length of 39 to 40 micrometres.