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Concept
Apis laboriosa
Summary
Apis laboriosa or Himalayan giant honey bee, is the world's largest honey bee; single adults can measure up to in length. Before 1980, Apis laboriosa was considered to be a subspecies of the widespread Apis dorsata, the giant honey bee, but in 1980 and for almost 20 years thereafter it was elevated to the rank of a separate species. It was classified once again as a subspecies of Apis dorsata by Michael S. Engel in 1999, but was confirmed as a full species in 2020 on the basis of co-occurrence with Apis dorsata at many sites with no sign of interbreeding. It is highly adapted to its highland habitat in behavior.
Recent research has removed laboriosa from inclusion within A. dorsata, as a separate species, with supporting evidence including a significant region of sympatry. A. laboriosa is hardly distinct morphologically from the nominate subspecies of dorsata (darker abdomen, longer thoracic hair) but has different housekeeping and swarming behavior, allowing it to survive at high altitudes. In addition, little gene flow has occurred between A. dorsata and A. laboriosa for millions of years; accordingly, some authors had previously classified it as a distinct species.
Limited largely to the Himalayas, it is the largest species in the genus Apis. It is found in the mountainous regions of Bhutan, the Chinese province of Yunnan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. It mostly nests at altitudes between , building very large nests under overhangs on the southwestern faces of vertical cliffs. One nest can contain as much as of honey. The bees forage at altitudes of up to . Due to its peculiar nesting behavior, the Himalayan giant honey bee is also referred to as the Himalayan cliff honey bee. The term "Himalayan honey bee" is sometimes used more informally for any of the four types of honey bees that are found in the Himalayan region; Apis cerana, Apis florea, Apis dorsata and Apis laboriosa.
A significant portion of the range of A. laboriosa overlaps with that of yellow-rumped honeyguide (Indicator xanthonotus), a small sparrow-like bird that chiefly feeds on the beeswax.
Official source
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