Variation in Morphometric Characteristic of Apis cerana Fabricius (1793) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from Various Altitudes in West Sumatra

Abstract

Apis cerana is a honey bee with a wide distribution, it can be found in the lowlands until 1800 meters above sea level. Differences in geographical conditions, especially altitude, can affect the morphological character of honey bees. Morphometric analysis can be used to prove changes in morphological characters due to differences in environmental factors. This study was conducted to determine the variations in body size of Apis cerana from three different altitudes in West Sumatra. A total of 45 colonies were observed and 15 individual worker bees from each colony were collected for mounting purposes. Wings, antennae and hind leg were mounted and a bitmap image was created for each body part. Measurement of morphological characters was carried out from bitmap images using OPTILAB software and viewer Image Raster. Total characters measured in this study were 78 characters with 59 of them were new. The results of the t-test analysis showed that the difference in the size of the morphological character of worker bees was mostly found in individuals from altitude >1000 m above sea level and <100 m above sea level, which was 73.07% characters. The main body size, antennae, wings and hind legs of A. cerana tends to follow the altitudinal gradients.