Apis mellifera pomonella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species:
A. mellifera
Subspecies:
A. m. pomonella
Trinomial name
Apis mellifera pomonella
Sheppard & Meixner, 2003[1]

Apis mellifera pomonella, the Tien Shan honey bee, is a subspecies of Apis mellifera which is claimed to be the endemic honey bee of the Tien Shan Mountains in Central Asia. It is a relatively large bee, only slightly smaller than Apis mellifera carnica, in general very similar in appearance to Apis mellifera anatoliaca, but with comparatively short hair and short mouthparts.[1]

Etymology

The name "pomonella" proposed by the researchers is derived from the Roman goddess Pomona, the protector of gardens, fruit trees and orchards, associated with the flourishing of the fruit, not its harvesting.[2] The name Pōmōna in turn comes from the Latin word pōmus meaning fruit tree or fruit.[3] The region of the Tien Shan Mountain range is near the former Kazakhstan capital, Almaty, previously called Alma-Ata which means the “father of apples”; this area has been described as a "center of diversity" for wild Malus species, Malus sieversii (wild apples), which our apple cultivars are descended from.[4] Apples are self-incompatible and require insect pollination which is typically provided by honey bees when grown as a commercial crop.[5][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Walter Sheppard, Marina Meixner (2003). "Apis mellifera pomonella, a new honey bee subspecies from Central Asia" (PDF). Apidologie. 4 (34): 367–375. doi:10.1051/apido:2003037. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. ^ Duckworth, George E (1976). Pompona (William D. Halsey. 'Collier's Encyclopedia'. Vol. 19 ed.). Macmillan Educational Corporation. p. 232.
  3. ^ Michiel de Vaan (2008). Etymological Dictionary of Latin: And the Other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series): 07 (1 ed.). Brill. p. 479. ISBN 978-9004167971.
  4. ^ Hokanson S.C., McFerson J.R., Forsline P.L., Lamboy W.F., Luby J.J., Djangaliev A.D., Aldwinckle H.S. (1997). "Collecting and managing wild Malus germplasm in its center of diversity". Hortcultural Science. 32: 173–176.((cite journal)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Westbrook FE, Bergman PW, Wearne RA (1975). Pollination and the Honey Bee (1 ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 8–9.((cite book)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)


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