Morphological characterization of Apis cerana in the Yunnan Province of China

Morphological features of Apis cerana Fabr. in Yunnan Province of China were studied using morphometrical methods. Samples of A. cerana were collected from feral colonies in 14 locations of Yunnan Province, covering the main ecological regions. 38 standard morphometric characters recommended by Ruttner et al. (Apidologie 9, 363 - 381, 1978) were measured. The data were statistically analysed by factor analysis, discriminant analysis, and cluster analysis and compared to samples from the Oberursel data bank from Beijing, Japan, Korea, Thailand, India, Burma, Vietnam, and Nepal. The results showed a high degree of variation, which correlated to geographical parameters. Bees from the northern high-altitude areas were clearly larger and darker, and showed similarity to data bank samples from Beijing, Nepal, or northern India, whereas bees from lower, southern areas clustered with bees from Thailand and Vietnam.