Apis dorsata

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Apinae
Tribe: Apini Latreille, 1802
Genus: Apis Linnaeus, 1758
Subgenus: Apis (Megapis) Ashmead, 1904
Species: Apis dorsata Fabricius, 1793
Common names: giant honey bee

Overview

Apis dorsata is among the largest species of bees (17–20 mm in body length and a forewing length of 12–15 mm). As in other species of honey bees, A. dorsata is highly variable in coloration depending on the race, which is also associated with the distribution. Apis dorsata is remarkable for having a well-organized mass defense reaction, where once an intruder is marked by being stung, it can be followed kilometers away. In addition, a single colony of A. dorsata can migrate between 100–200 km every year, and it is dependent on the dry and rainy seasons (Gupta 2014Gupta 2014:
Gupta, R.K. 2014. Taxonomy and distribution of different honeybee species. In: Gupta R.K., Reybroeck W., van Veen J. W. amp; A. Gupta (eds): Beekeeping for poverty alleviation and livelihood security Vol.1: Technological aspects of beekeeping. Pp. 63ndash;103.).

Diagnostic characteristics

• Distal distal:
  place on a segment that is furthest from the place of attachment with the body
  abscissaabscissa:
  veins that help define wing cells
  of vein M in hind wing present (Fig 10).
• Forewings fuscousfuscous:
  gray-brown coloration, generally used to describe wing color
  (Fig 10).
• Worker scutellumscutellum:
  shield shaped plate behind scutum
  reddish-brown or brownish-black.
• Worker metasomal T3–T4 dark brown to black (Fig 3, 6, and 13).
• Drones with dense frond-like setaesetae:
  a still hair-like structure or bristle
  on meso- and metatarsi (Fig 8, 9, and 12).
• Workers have more or less raised ocelliocelli:
  simple light reception organs; bees have three of them at the top of their head
  (Fig 11).
• Sting apparatus with 11 lancetlancet:
  apical part of the first valvula [= the first valvifer, which originated from the appendage of the 7th gastral segment, has commonly been referred to as the triangular plate or gonoplac which basally, gives rise to the first valvula which is a long thin process. The basal part of the first valvula is the first ramus and the more apical part the lancet, which itself gives rise to the valvilli (or lancet valves)].
  barbs and 2–4 pairs of stylet barbs (Jayasvasti and Wongsiri 1993Jayasvasti and Wongsiri 1993:
  Jayasvasti, S., and S. Wongsiri. 1993. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of honey bee - stings of six species ( Apis florea , Apis dorsata , Apis cerana , Apis koschevnikovi , Apis florea, and Apis andreniformis ). Honeybee Science 14: 105ndash;109.) (Fig 14).
• Distance from tip of lancetlancet:
  apical part of the first valvula [= the first valvifer, which originated from the appendage of the 7th gastral segment, has commonly been referred to as the triangular plate or gonoplac which basally, gives rise to the first valvula which is a long thin process. The basal part of the first valvula is the first ramus and the more apical part the lancet, which itself gives rise to the valvilli (or lancet valves)].
  to the first barb = 77.92 µm (Jayasvasti and Wongsiri 1993Jayasvasti and Wongsiri 1993:
  Jayasvasti, S., and S. Wongsiri. 1993. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of honey bee - stings of six species ( Apis florea , Apis dorsata , Apis cerana , Apis koschevnikovi , Apis florea, and Apis andreniformis ). Honeybee Science 14: 105ndash;109.).

Host associations

As with all species of honey bees, A. dorsata is a generalist and visits a broad range of plants for food.

Nesting behavior

Nests of A. dorsata are typically constructed in open or exposed and conspicuous areas (tall trees, rock cliffs, or even buildings). Usually the nests are aggregated (although they can also be single), and it is not uncommon to find 10–25 nests in the same area or even on a single tree (also known as bee trees). Their nests are normally at heights of around 6 m above ground (Engel 2012Engel 2012:
Engel M. S. 2012. The honey bees of Indonesia (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Treubia 39: 41ndash;49.), however, some nests can be found as low as 3 m and as high as 25 m. In terms of their architecture, nests are composed of a single comb built below rocks or tree branches (undersurface of its support), and their organization is similar to that of other species of honey bees: honey storage is at the top, followed by pollen storage, worker brood, and drone brood. The lower part of the nest is the active area or “mouth” where workers take off and land and where dances are performed by scouts. Dances take place on the vertical surface of the comb.

Diversity

There are three currently recognized subspecies: A. dorsata dorsata, with the broader distribution; A. d. brevilingua which is in the shorter range of body size but has a broader metasomametasoma:
the posterior part of the body
, a short tongue, intermediate forewing length, and is found in the Philippines; and A. d. binghami (the Indonesian honey bee) which has a longer tongue and forewing compared to A. d. brevilingua and is only found in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The latter two subspecies are more similar in coloration (uniformly black and with distinctive bandsbands:
usually referring to bands of hair or bands of color that traverse across an abdominal segment
in the metasomametasoma:
the posterior part of the body
) compared with A. dorsata dorsata (more yellowish-orange).

Distribution

Apis dorsata is widespread across most of South (Indian subcontinent) and Southeast Asia (Basavarajappa and Raghunandan 2013Basavarajappa and Raghunandan 2013:
Basavarajappa S., and K.S. Raghunandan. 2013. Colony status of Asian giant honeybee, Apis dorsata Fabricius in Southern Karnataka, India. African Journal of Agricultural Research 8 (8): 680ndash;689., Gupta 2014Gupta 2014:
Gupta, R.K. 2014. Taxonomy and distribution of different honeybee species. In: Gupta R.K., Reybroeck W., van Veen J. W. amp; A. Gupta (eds): Beekeeping for poverty alleviation and livelihood security Vol.1: Technological aspects of beekeeping. Pp. 63ndash;103.). It is common in lower altitudes and in plains of its distribution (not above 2000 m).

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References

Basavarajappa S., and K.S. Raghunandan. 2013. Colony status of Asian giant honeybee, Apis dorsata Fabricius in Southern Karnataka, India. African Journal of Agricultural Research 8(8): 680–689.

Engel M. S. 2012. The honey bees of Indonesia (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Treubia 39:41-49.

Fabricius J. C. 1793. Entomologia Systematica. Hafniae, Proft. Vol. II, 8+519pp.

Gupta R. K. 2014. Taxonomy and distribution of different honeybee species. In: Gupta R.K., W. Reybroeck, J.W. van Veen, and A. Gupta (eds.): Beekeeping for poverty alleviation and livelihood security Vol.1: Technological aspects of beekeeping. Pp. 63-103.

Jayavasti S., and S. Wongsiri. 1992. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of honeybees (Apis florea, Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, Apis mellifera, Apis andreniformis and Apis koschevnikovi) stings. Recent Advances in Toxicology Research 2:193-204.

Lo N. H., R. S. Sanderson, and D. L. Oldroyd. 2010. A molecular phylogeny of the genus Apis suggests that the Giant Honey Bee of the Philippines, A. breviligula Maa, and the Plains Honey Bee of southern India, A. indica Fabricius, are valid species. Systematic Entomology 35(2): 226–233.

Oldroyd B. P., and P. Nanork. 2009. Conservation of Asian honey bees. Apidologie 40: 296–312.

Paar J, B.P. Oldroyd, E. Huettinger, and G. Kastberger. 2004. Genetic structure of an Apis dorsata population: the significance of migration and colony aggregation. Journal of Heredity 95 (2):119-26.