Morphmetric analysis of apis cerana populations in Huangshan, China

Honey bees (Apis cerana Fabricius) were collected from 195 colonies at seven different localities spanning the main beekeeping areas in Huangshan. Morphometric methods were used to measure seven standard morphometric characters, and these bees were compared to samples from the Henan, Shandong, and Yunnan provinces. Principal component analysis of the total Huangshan database yielded two clusters: bees from Jinxian and Jixixian, and those from other localities. Within the latter cluster, discriminant and hierarchical cluster analyses revealed overlapping regional sub-clusters: bees from Huangshanqu, Qimenxian, Huizhouqu, and Shexian, and those from Yixian. Significant differences between the means of the three clusters were demonstrated using Wilks’ lambda statistic. Morphocluster separation was related to altitude differences. Moreover, we noted some regions with high intercolonial variance, suggesting introgression among these defined honeybee populations.