Vinutha R Bhatta¹, Naresh Kumar A^2,

Of the 30 morphological characters, 15 varied markedly among populations from three distinct habitats, namely urban (an urban green space), rural (rural horticultural area), and wild (a national park). Significant differences (n = 225; p< 0.05) were noticed in body length; length and width of the abdomen; length and width of forewings as well as angles 31, 32, and 34; width of hindwing and wing angles H1, H2, and H3; and length and width of the tibia of the hind leg and width of the metatarsus. Among the 15 characters, values of 12 were the highest among the urban bees and included body length, length and width of the abdomen, length of the forewing, width of metatarsus, and forewing venation angles 31, 32, and 34 and hind wing angles H1, H2, and H3. The rural bees were characterized by significantly wide forewing and tibia whereas the wild bees showed significantly long hind wings. Principal component analysis confirmed the association between habitat and morphological characters, with three independent morpho clusters explaining maximum variance in the length and width of hind wing, length of antenna and of proboscis, and forewing venation angle 31 and hind wing angle H2. Cluster analysis also showed that the populations of urban bees were morphologically related to rural bees and were distinct from the wild populations. The study thus highlights the positive influence of urban habitats on the social honey bee species Apis cerana indica and shows that green spaces in cities are not only aesthetically appealing but also confer ecological benefits.

Apis cerana, morphometry, urbanisation, conservation