Phylogeography and species delimitation of the Asian cavity-nesting honeybees

Abstract We examine phylogenetic relationships among species and populations of Asian cavity-nesting honeybees, emphasizing detection potential unrecognized in the geographically widespread Apis cerana Fabricius (Hymenoptera, Apidae). carried out a analysis genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using BEASTv1.8.4 IQ-TREE 2. Our samples cover largest geographic area number honey bees sampled to date. used STRUCTURE, Bayes Factor Delimitation, discriminant principal components infer probable honeybees currently recognized as cerana. results support 4 within A. cerana: yellow “plains” honeybee India Sri Lanka; lineage inhabiting oceanic Philippine islands; Sundaland found Indonesia, Malaysia, parts southeast Asia; Mainland lineage, which we provisionally consider narrow sense.