Morphometric diversity of Apis cerana Fabr. within the Philippines

Abstract

The diversity of Apis cerana Fabr. in the Philippines was studied using morphometric methods. A total of 101 samples of A. cerana from feral and hived colonies, and foragers were collected throughout the Philippine archipelago. The 39 morphometric characters recommended by Ruttner and Ruttner et al. were measured. The data were statistically analyzed by means of factor analysis, discriminant analysis, and cluster analysis. The bees from Palawan were unequivocally distinct and separate from the other Philippine samples. The bees from the other Philippine islands still showed a high degree of variation. The bees of Luzon differed clearly from those of Visayas and Mindanao. Within Luzon, the bees from the highland differed clearly from those in the lowland and were regarded as separate groups. Bees from visayas and Mindanao were still very variable and showed potential for further sub-structuring. The present analysis could not distinguish whether the difference between Luzon and Visayas-Mindanao was based on a north-south clinal structure, or on distinct groups.