Apis mellifera artemisia

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Apis mellifera artemisia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species:
Subspecies:
A. m. artemisia
Trinomial name
Apis mellifera artemisia
Engel 1999 [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Apis mellifera mellifera variety tesquorum (Skorikov 1929),
  • Apis mellifera acervorum (Skorikov 1929)

Apis mellifera artemisia is the Russian steppe honey bee, first identified in 1999 near Kyiv, Ukraine, by only one specimen, [3] but by 2011 its taxonomic status had been called into question, [4] although to date no DNA analysis has been conducted: At the same time the taxonomic status of the Apis mellifera ruttneri on Malta was also called into question, however in 2017 it was confirmed that Apis mellifera ruttneri was a new and separate subspecies. [5]

Its name is derived from Artemis the Greek goddess for whom the honey bee was a symbol and whose temple at Ephesus, the Artemision, was listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the world. [6]


Related Research Articles

Within biological taxonomy, a honey bee race would be an informal rank in the taxonomic hierarchy, below the level of subspecies. It has been used as a higher rank than strain, with several strains making up one race. Therefore, a strain is a lower-level taxonomic rank used at the intraspecific level within a race of a subspecies. Strains are often seen as inherently artificial concepts, more usually within biology as characterized by a specific intent for genetic isolation, however, within beekeeping circles, strain is more likely to be used to describe very minor differences throughout the same subspecies, such as the color ranges of A. m. carnica from brown to grey. Within A. m. ligustica there are two races, the darker leather brown northern Italian bee from the Ligurian Alps region which was discovered to be resistant to acarine in the 1900s, while the other Italian bee race, from regions near Bologna and further south, was highly susceptible to acarine and within this race there are two color strains, the traditional Italian yellow and a rarer all-golden color.

<i>European dark bee</i> Subspecies of honey bee

The European dark bee is a subspecies of the western honey bee, evolving in central Asia, with a proposed origin of the Tien Shan Mountains and later migrating into eastern and then northern Europe after the last ice age from 9,000BC onwards. Its original range included the southern Urals in Russia and stretched through northern Europe and down to the Pyrenees. They are one of the two members of the 'M' lineage of Apis mellifera, the other being in western China. Traditionally they were called the Black German Bee, although they are now considered endangered in Germany. However today they are more likely to be called after the geographic / political region in which they live such as the British Black Bee, the Native Irish Honey Bee, the Cornish Black Bee and the Nordic Brown Bee, even though they are all the same subspecies, with the word "native" often inserted by local beekeepers, even in places where the bee is an introduced foreign species. It was domesticated in Europe and hives were brought to North America in the colonial era in 1622 where they were referred to as the English Fly by the Native Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caucasian honey bee</span> Subspecies of western honey bee

The Caucasian honey bee is a subspecies of the western honey bee.

<i>Apis laboriosa</i> Species of insect

Apis laboriosa or Himalayan giant honey bee, is the world's largest honey bee; single adults can measure up to 3.0 cm (1.2 in) in length. Before 1980, Apis laboriosa was considered to be a subspecies of the widespread Apis dorsata, the giant honey bee, but in 1980 and for almost 20 years thereafter it was elevated to the rank of a separate species. It was classified once again as a subspecies of Apis dorsata by Michael S. Engel in 1999, but was confirmed as a full species in 2020 on the basis of co-occurrence with Apis dorsata at many sites with no sign of interbreeding. It is highly adapted to its highland habitat in behavior.

The Maltese honey bee, Apis mellifera ruttneri, is a subspecies of the western honey bee, endemic to the Maltese islands which are situated in the Mediterranean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee smoker</span> Device which produces smoke; used in beekeeping

A bee smoker is a device used in beekeeping to calm honey bees. It is designed to generate smoke from the smoldering of various fuels, hence the name. It is commonly designed as a stainless steel cylinder with a lid that narrows to a small gap. The base of the cylinder has another small opening that is adjacent to a bellow nozzle. Pumping of the bellows forces air through the bottom opening. The cylinder may also have a wire frame around to protect hands from burning. Some smokers have a hook on the side allowing the user to hang the device on the side of a beehive for easy access during an inspection or attach it to an ALICE belt when not in use.

<i>Apis mellifera macedonica</i> Subspecies of Western honey bee

The Macedonian bee is a subspecies of the Western honey bee. It is found mainly in Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Northern Greece and other places in the Balkans as well. Originally this subspecies was described based on morphological characteristics by Friedrich Ruttner, as were the adami, cecropia and cypria subspecies.

Varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) is a behavioral trait of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in which bees detect and remove bee pupae that are infested by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. V. destructor is considered to be the most dangerous pest problem for honey bees worldwide. VSH activity results in significant resistance to the mites.

<i>Apis mellifera intermissa</i> Subspecies of honey bee

Apis mellifera intermissa is an African subspecies of the western honey bee.

The Apis mellifera jemenitica is a subspecies of the western honey bee. It is native to the southern Arabian Peninsula, south of the Sahara, Sudan and Somalia. Based on morphological studies by Friedrich Ruttner, it is classified as a tropical African bee group.

The Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese honey bee is a Maltese non-governmental organisation aimed at the protection and conservation of the Maltese honey bee, a subspecies of the western honey bee.

Apis mellifera sossimai extending from the west of Ukraine centrally and southwards towards the Caucasus mountains. However in 2011 research from Russia conducted mtDNA analysis showing that the A. m. sossimai was not a separate subspecies, but only an ecotype of the Apis mellifera macedonica subspecies.

Apis mellifera taurica along the north central shores of the Black Sea, in the Crimea. However in 2011 research from Russia questioned the taxonomic status of A. m. taurica citing mtDNA analysis to the north and west of Crimea, which had shown that those regions did not have distinct subspecies, but that their honey bees were at the most ecotypes of previously known subspecies.

Apis mellifera siciliana is known by the common name of the Sicilian honey bee which is endemic to the island of Sicily, Italy in the Mediterranean sea. It belongs to the A Lineage of honey bees from Africa, with close genetic relations to Apis mellifera sahariensis, Apis mellifera intermissa, and Apis mellifera ruttneri.

Apis mellifera monticola is known by the common name of the East African mountain honey bee. In 2017 its complete mitochondrial genome was sequenced, confirming that it belonged to the A Lineage of honey bees and concluding that "A phylogenetic tree showed that A. m. monticola clusters with other African subspecies".

Apis mellifera unicolor is known by the common name of the Madagascar honey bee, sometimes also called the Malagasy honey bee,, it is endemic to the island of Madagascar.

<i>Apis mellifera syriaca</i> Subspecies of honey bee

Apis mellifera syriaca is known by the common name of the Syrian honey bee, sometimes also called the Palestine honey bee.

Apis mellifera remipes is known by the common name of the Armenian honey bee and is reported to occur in the region of Armenia, however numerous names have been assigned to honey bees within this area leading to considerable confusion as to the correct name which should be used. There has also been doubts raised as to whether the A. m. remipes has been misidentified, and is not actually the A. m. anatoliaca to the west.

Apis mellifera meda is known by the common names of the Median honey bee or the Iranian honey bee. Its range covers the non desert areas of most of Iran and Iraq, but also into southeastern Turkey, across northern Syria as far as the coast of the Mediterranean. Colonies have been observed in the Azarbaijan Iranian highlands at elevations up to 3000m. Initially based on morphometric evaluation, but then later confirmed with DNA analysis, they belong to the O Lineage of Apis mellifera.

References

  1. Michael S Engel (1999). "The taxonomy of recent and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae; Apis)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 8 (2): 180. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  2. Michael S Engel (1999). "The taxonomy of recent and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae; Apis)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 8 (2): 180. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  3. "Apis mellifera subsp. artemisia Engel, 1999". gbif.org. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  4. R. Ilyasov, I. Kutuev, A. Petukhov, A. Poskryakov, A. Nikolenko. (2011). "Phylogenetic relationships of the Dark European honeybee Apis mellifera mellifera L. from the Russian Ural and West European populations" (PDF). Journal of Apicultural Science. 55 (1): 68. Retrieved 4 January 2023.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Zammit-Mangion, Marion; Meixner, Marina; Mifsud, David; Sammut, Sheryl; Camilleri, Liberato (2017-10-20). "Thorough morphological and genetic evidence confirm the existence of the endemic honey bee of the Maltese Islands Apis mellifera ruttneri: recommendations for conservation". Journal of Apicultural Research. 56 (5): 514–522. doi:10.1080/00218839.2017.1371522. ISSN   0021-8839. S2CID   91025470.
  6. Michael S Engel (1999). "The taxonomy of recent and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae; Apis)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 8 (2): 180. Retrieved 4 January 2023.