Apis mellifera intermissa
Apis mellifera intermissa is an African subspecies of the western honey bee.
Description
Previously classified as A. m.intermissa v. Buttel-Reepen a reviewed classification of genus instead states the sub-species as A. m. intermissa v. Maa Found in the south of Spain and the north of the Sahara desert in Africa, ranging from the east to the west, and is adapted to dry climates. This bee has a black-brown and orange striated abdomen and black-brown thorax with orange fur.Taxonomy
In a comparative study of five subspecies and A. m. iberica cleavage maps obtained through the use of restriction enzymesshowed that the Spanish honey bee contains mtDNA similar to intermissa and also mellifera. Additionally, A. m. intermissa belongs to a group shown by experiment to have similar mtDNA, this including monticola, scuttelata, adansonii and capensis
In Spanish honey bee populations, mtDNA haplotypes of African bee strains were found to be frequently present . Migrating honey bee populations formed the original colonies of honey bees in western Europe, landing to eventually populate the continent from Africa across the Straits of Gibraltar.