Phylogenetic Analysis of the Genus Apis (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

A cladistic analysis of six species-species groups in the genus Apis using 21 characters of adult morphology and behavior produces a single most parsimonious cladogram with a consistency index of 93. If the numerous autapomorphies for the genus Apis are excluded from the calculation of the consistency index, its value is 88. The tree topology is ((andreniformis + fiorea ) + (dorsata group + (mellifera + (cerana + koschevnikovi)))). Implications of this phylogenetic hypothesis for ideas about the evolution of the dance language in Apis are discussed