Forewing angles of honey bee (Apis mellifera) samples from different regions of Turkey

Abstract

A stepwise-selection multivariate discriminate analysis was performed using forewing angles to discriminate the honey bee (Apis mellifera) samples that were collected from six different regions in Turkey. Eleven angles of forewing venation, A(4), B-4, D-7, E-9, G(18), J(10), J(16), K-19, L-13, N-23 and O-26 were measured biometrically. Discriminant analysis showed that A(4), O-26, B-4, D-7, L-13, N-3 and E-9 angles sufficiently discriminated the samples from different subspecies of Turkish honey bees. The first three-subset out of five canonical discriminant functions explained 96.1% of total variations. All samples collected from central and north-east Anatolia regions were 100% correctly classified into their original regions. The samples of other regions were overlapped with each other. The overall percentage of cases classified correctly was 88.9% (32 out of 36 cases). In conclusion, there are high biometrical variations between different regions of Turkey in terms of forevving angles of honey bees and forewing angles can be used for discrimination of Turkish honey bees.