Abstract
Restriction endonuclease cleavage maps of mitochondrial DNAs of Scandinavian
Apis mellifera mellifera L., of German, Austrian, and Yugoslavian A. m. carnica
Pollman, and of Austrian "Nigra" honey bees are compared with previously published maps
of mitochondrial DNA from North American bees of European ancestry and Brazilian
Africanized bees. A. m. mellifera mitochondrial DNA is characterized by a pattern of
cleavage sites unique among the honey bee populations thus far investigated. Variation in
size of the mitochondrial DNA molecule is common among families (hives) of A. m. mellifera
and appears to involve several distinct regions that span a region at least 5.1 kilobase pairs
in length. Some elements of size variation seem to be confined to the A. m. mellifera
population, whereas others are shared with Africanized bees. A. m. carnica mitochondrial
DNA is characterized by a pattern of cleavage sites, which differs from that of A. m. mellifera
and the Africanized bees but is similar to that of the domestic North American bees of
European ancestry.
Description
This is the published version. copyright 1990 Entomological Society of America.