Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 11:14:45 PDT
Subject: Taxonomy
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The classification details change from time to time.
The mellifera subspecies below are those in Hive and Honeybee 1992.
Vol 27 of Apidologie (1996) has articles on the "new" Asian species list.
 
Phylum         - Arthropoda (Jointed Leg)
Class          - Insecta (head thorax abdomen)
Order          - Hymenoptera (membrane winged)
Superfamily    - Apoidea (the bees)
Family         - Apidae (honey and bumble bees, orchid bees, some stingless bees)
Subfamily       -Apinae (perennial social colonies)
Tribe (only 1)  -Apini
Genus          - Apis  (hive bee)
Species        - mellifera ("honey bearing", western world)
subspecies
(Central Mediterranean and SW Europe)
                -ligustica (Italian)
                -carnica   (Carniolan)
                -macedonia
                -sicula
                -cecropia
 
(Western Mediterranean and NW Europe)
                -mellifera (Dark)
                -iberica
                -sahariensis
                -intermissa
 
near east       -syriaca
                -meda
                -adami
                -cypria
                -caucasia (Caucasian)
                -armeniaca
                -anatolica
 (African)
                -adansonii
                -unicolor
                -capensis
                -monticola
                -scutellata
                -lamarkii
                -yementica
                -litorea
 
Asian species of Apis (open or cavity nesting hive bees)
(In Malaysia, 4 species of Apis may be found foraging in the same tree)
 
        Apis cerana
subspecies      -cerana
                -indica
                -japonica
                -himalaya
 
        Apis koschevnikovi
        Apis nuluensis
        Apis nigrocincta
 
 
        Apis dorsata
        Apis laboriosa
 
 
        Apis florea
        Apis andreniformis