Infraspecific categories of Apis cerana: morphometric, allozymal and mtDNAdiversity

An analysis of the infraspecific categories of Apis cerana was prepared fro m the relevant literature on taxonomy, morphometrics, allozyme polymorphism and mtDNA diversity. About 31 putative biometric groups have been proposed and assigned to about eight equivocal "subspecies" and various ecotypes. H owever nearly half of the area of distribution of A. cerana remains unexami ned. Allozyme polymorphism is greatest in southeast and lowest in northern and western Asia. About four major mtDNA groups are discernable. There is a very low overall geographic congruity amongst the morphoclusters, allozyme polymorphs and mtDNA clusters. The greatest problems in resolving infraspe cific categories in A. cerana are inadequate sampling, incompatible differe nces in sample sizes, character suites, sampling distance, confidence limit s and range of geographical scales employed in different studies.