# Wing Morphology



## Colino (May 28, 2013)

This is fascinating. But can they use this method to identify different breeds of Apis? If so then maybe I can identify what strain my mutts came from.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

interesting jwc. is it possible to differentiate mellifera subspecies other that scutellata using wing morphology?


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

Colino said:


> This is fascinating. But can they use this method to identify different breeds of Apis? If so then maybe I can identify what strain my mutts came from.


 you beat me to it. i have the same interest regarding my mutts.


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

Two papers seem very useful, both open access:

*Francoy* Identification of Africanized honey bees through wing
morphometrics: two fast and efficient procedures* Apidologie 39 (2008) 488–494
(( despite restricted title, this presents wing morphometric data for all commercial races in its online appendix)
http://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/pdf/2008/05/m07145.pdf

Second paper is
Bouga, Maria. A review of methods for discrimination of honey bee
populations as applied to European beekeeping
Journal of Apicultural Research 50(1): 51-84 (2011)
http://www.sicamm.org/documents/Bouga.pdf


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

awesome, many thanks.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

http://www.beesource.com/point-of-v...l-fast-africanized-bee-identification-system/

Wing morphology is many possibilities for error.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

yep. dna testing would yield a more satisfying answer as to what these feral derivitives are, but i don't think it's readily available.


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## Juhani Lunden (Oct 3, 2013)

JWChesnut said:


> Two papers seem very useful, both open access:
> 
> *Francoy* Identification of Africanized honey bees through wing
> morphometrics: two fast and efficient procedures* Apidologie 39 (2008) 488–494
> ...


In the first link there is a picture of a bee wing (page 491), and the different joints have each a number (1-19)

Cubital index is the relation of the vein lengths 14-17/17-18


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## Jeanette (Jul 7, 2012)

There is apparently a distinct difference in the hindwings of Apis Mellifera and Apis Cerana (just in case anyone is interested). This picture originally came from Museum Victoria (Australia) http://padil.gov.au/pests-and-diseases/Pest/Main/135533/







Double-click image to see larger version.


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## Kidbeeyoz (May 8, 2013)

When we had an incursion of Apis Cerana in the far north, droppings from the Rainbow Bee Eater bird were examined for wing morphology of that species, to determine if they were in a particular area.


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