Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 11:14:45 PDT Subject: Taxonomy MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Importance: normal A1-type: DOCUMENT 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