Morphometric characterization of Apis cerana hainana (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Hainan province, PR China

摘要

The morphometric divergence between Apis cerana hainana and A. cerana remains uncertain. To differentiate A. cerana hainana from A. cerana, we investigate the morphological characteristics of A. cerana hainana from different geographical locations in Hainan Province. Our results revealed that the mean morphological characteristics of A. cerana hainana were lower than that of A. cerana previously reported, and there were significant differences in 14 morphological characteristics in different locations (P < 0.05), which suggested that A. cerana hainana showed geographical variability. The principal component analysis results demonstrated that the hind leg, wax mirror, length of tergum 4, forewing, sternum 3 and sternum 6 can be used as the main morphological characteristics in distinguishing A. cerana hainana.