| Himalayan giant honey bee | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Apis |
| Species: | A. laboriosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Apis laboriosa Smith, 1871
| |
Apis laboriosa or Himalayan giant honey bee, is the world's largest honey bee; single adults can measure up to 3.0 cm (1.2 in) 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,[1] 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.[2] It is highly adapted to its highland habitat in behavior.
- ^ Engel, Michael S. (1999). "The taxonomy of recent and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apis)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 8: 165–196.
- ^ Kitnya, Nyaton; Prabhudev, M. V.; Bhatta, Chet Prasad; Pham, Thai Hong; Nidup, Tshering; Megu, Karsing; Chakravorty, Jharna; Brockmann, Axel; Otis, G. W. (2020). "Geographical distribution of the giant honey bee Apis laboriosa Smith, 1871 (Hymenoptera, Apidae)". ZooKeys (951): 67–81. doi:10.3897/zookeys.951.49855. PMC 7390808. PMID 32774106.