Wing morphometry of worker bees in the central and northern parts of Ukraine

Abstract

In the flat forest-steppe region of Ukraine, several evolutionary lines of honey bees subspecies Apis mellifera mellifera L., Apis mellifera macedonica Ruttner, and Apis mellifera caucasica Pollmann are believed to be widespread, the territorial boundaries and within-population relationships of which require detailed study.Wing morphometry is one of the available methods for establishing the wing phenotype and morphological features of bees in general. However, the completeness and degree of study of the morphometric features of bee populations present in the territory of Ukraine are insufficient. The aim of the study was to carry out a more accurate and thorough classification of wings, establish morphometric standards of worker bees of local populations of Ukrainian steppe bees, create a methodology for assessing possible hybridization by wing phenotype, and attempt to find bee families with queens suitable for further breeding. To achieve this goal, classical morphometry was used to study the wing phenotype using 8 features: traditional - Ci, Dbi, Disc.sh, Pci, Ri, and additional features proposed by the authors - Сі.2, Сі.3, Сі.2.1, which allowed to increase the level of confidence in the quality of statistical data processing of wing features. Using discriminant analysis of the data and the Statistica software package, a classifier was created and 3717 wings were classified. With sufficient reliability (95.6 %), the wings of 28 bee families were divided into five clusters. Five arrays of standards were formed, two of which probably belong to the population of Ukrainian steppe bees subspecies A. m. macedonica, one to subspecies A. m. Carnica Pollmann, two to hybrids of Ukrainian steppe bees and the Polissya population of subspecies A. m. mellifera. A significant similarity in phenotypes was established between two clusters of investigated wings and wings of bees from the Carpathian region, and the hybridization of worker bees of the indicated territory was determined by the Polissya population of subspecies A. m. mellifera. It is shown how, in the presence of standard data of worker bee wing features obtained as a result of this work and others formed in another, it is possible to use discriminant analysis to correctly classify wings and assess the possible hybridization of bees. Formed arrays of five new standards can be used in subsequent studies as standards of comparison. Key words: Morphometry of wings, classification of worker bees, discriminant analysis.