> The taxonomy of the honey bees, genus Apis Linnaeus has been confused for 100 years. At the extremes, Maa (1953) recognized 24 species and four subgenera, whereas Buttel-Reepen (1906) argued for a single genus and just three species. In a heroic effort, Engel (1999) reviewed the vast literature (there are over 175 names) and settled on three extant subgenera and seven species. In their review of the biology of the Asian honey bees, Oldroyd & Wongsiri (2006) adopted Engel’s classification, but followed Otis (1996), who recognized two additional species.

Lo, Nathan, et al. "A molecular phylogeny of the genus Apis suggests that the Giant Honey Bee of the Philippines, A. breviligula Maa, and the Plains Honey Bee of southern India, A. indica Fabricius, are valid species." Systematic Entomology 35.2 (2010): 226-233.

see also

Otis, Gard W. "Distributions of recently recognized species of honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae; Apis) in Asia." Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society (1996): 311-333.

PLB

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