species of Genus Apis. 37 



There is some doubt as to the number of species of this 

 genus. It is certain that the Apis Ligustica of Spinola, or 

 Italian bee, the Apis fasciata of Latreille, or Egyptian bee, 

 the Cyprian bee and tlie bees of Syria, of which Mr. Ben- 

 ton states tliat there are at least two distinct races, are only 

 races of the Apis mellifica, which also includes the German 

 or black bee. 



Mr. F. Smith, an able entomologist, considers Apis dor- 

 sata of India and the East Indies, Apis zonata of the same 

 Islands, Apis Indica of India and China, and Apis florea of 

 India, Ceylon, China, and Borneo, as distinct species. He 

 thinks, also, that Apis Adonsoni and Apis nigrocincta are 

 distinct, but states that they may be varieties of Apis 

 Indica. Some regard Apis unicolor as a distinct species, 

 but it is probably a variety of Apis mellifica. As Apis mel- 

 lifica has not been found in India, and is a native of Europe, 

 Western Asia, and Africa, it seems quite possible, though 

 not probable, that several of the above may turn out to be 

 only varieties of Apis mellifica. If there are only color and 

 size to distinguish them, and, indeed, one may add habits, 

 then we may suspect, with good reason, the validity of the 

 above arrangement. If there be structural difference, as 

 Mr. Wallace says there is, in the male dorsata, then we 

 may call them different species. The Italian certainly has 

 a longer tongue than the German, yet that is not sufficient 

 to separate them as species. Apis zonata of the East 

 Indies, and Apis unicolor are said to be very black. 



I append the following chart, which I think represents 

 pretty accurately the species, races and varieties of the 

 genus Apis. 



Where a race is followed by an interrogation point, there 

 is a question if it should not be considered a variety of the 

 last preceding race not thus marked. Some of the races like 

 the Italian, Cyprian, Greek, etc., Vogel considers had 

 their origin in a cross between the yellow and black races. 

 Vogel's conclusion was reached from a long series of ex- 

 periments, crossing Italian and German bees and then 

 breeding from such crosses. It seems likely that through 

 the law of variation each race might have originated inde- 

 pendently, or possibly all, as varieties of the Egyptian bee. 



