Gard W. Otis

Science & SocietyOnline nowOpen access 1Swiss Bee Research Centre, Agroscope, Berne 3003, Switzerland 2Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Liebefeld, 3097, Switzerland 3School of Agriculture, Food, and Wine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5064, Australia 4Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6708, The Netherlands 5School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada 6Centre for...

Abstract Apis laboriosa, the Himalayan giant honeybee, inhabits the foothills of the Himalaya and neighboring mountainous regions. Here we revise its distribution in light of recent reports and discoveries. The range now extends from longitude 105.9E in Cao Bang, Vietnam, in the east to 74.4E in the Pir Panjal Range of western Himalaya, a linear distance of 3300 km, with the most notable new localities in northeastern Vietnam, central Myanmar, northern Thailand, and AJK-Pakistan.

Abstract The taxonomy and phylogeny of the giant honey bees (Apis; subgenus Megapis) are still controversial and unresolved. The species boundaries within the subgenus are unclear and some species that are recognized on the basis of genetic differences lack supporting morphological characters. Two species are now well accepted: Apis dorsata F. of tropical regions of Asia and Apis laboriosa Smith that inhabits the foothills of Himalaya and neighboring mountain ranges.