Geometric Morphometric Study of Honeybee (Apis mellifera L. 1758) Populations in Central Iran

The honeybee is one of the most important insect species for mankind due to its role in the pollination of crops and products that it makes. Western honeybee Apis mellifera is a cosmopolitan species due to human beekeeping practices. The geometric morphometric method was used to investigate the differences in wing size and shape of worker honeybee populations collected from 8 locations and apiaries from Isfahan and Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari provinces. Fore and hindwing shape and size variations were investigated based on 16 homologous landmark coordinates. In terms of wing size, data showed that Khansar's honeybees have the largest and Shahrekord honeybees have the smallest fore and hindwings. In terms of wing shape, more than half of the pairwise compared populations showed significant differences in both fore and hindwings. Also, allometry is not seen, meaning that variations in wing size and wing shape were independent from one another. This study provides information on the diversity of honeybee populations in the study area.