A new species of honey bee endemic to the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot has been discovered – the Indian Black Honeybee. This latest finding has been published in the September 2022 issue of the journal “Entomon”. This topic is important for the IAS Exam, especially for the environment and ecology segment.
Indian Black Honey Bee
Image source: The Hindu
The Indian Black Honey Bee is a species of the genus Apis that was discovered in 2022 in the Western Ghats region of India by a research team comprising researchers from the Kerala Agricultural University’s Integrated Farming Systems Research Station, Karamana; the Zoology Department of SN College, Cherthala; and the EMEA College of Arts and Science, Malappuram. The scientific name of the newly discovered bee species is Apis karinjodian.
- The honey bee last discovered in India was Apis Indica which was identified in 1798 by Fabricus.
- Apis karinjodian has evolved from Apis cerana morphotypes that got acclimatised to the hot and humid environment of the Western Ghats.
- The Indian Black Honey bee is visibly dark in appearance.
- The discovery of Apis karinjodian has given a new direction to apiculture in the country by giving three species of cavity nesting honey bees in India – Apis indica, Apis cerana and the newly found Apis karinjodian.
- Cavity nesting honey bees are used in India for commercial production of honey.
- The Apis karinjodian has the ability to produce higher quantities of honey with thicker consistency.
- The propagation of the new species could facilitate large scale production of quality honey.
- The discovery of Apis karinjodian has increased the species of honey bees in the world to 11.
Indian Black Honey Bee Habitat
The habitat of Apis karinjodian ranges from the Central Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the Southern Western Ghats, covering the states of Goa, Kerala, Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu.
IUCN Red List Status
Apis karinjodian has been classified as Near Threatened (NT) in Kerala based on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List Categories and Criteria.
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