| Apis mellifera litorea | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Apis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | A. m. litorea |
| Trinomial name | |
| Apis mellifera litorea Smith, 1961[1] | |
Apis mellifera litorea(East African coastal honey bee) is a subspecies of theWestern honey bee with a narrow coastal range mainly on the plains ofMozambique, it belongs to the A (Africa) Lineage of honey bees.[2]
The native habitat ofA. m. litorea extends northwards along the narrow coastal plain ofKenya andTanzania, and southwards towards the plains of Mozambique.[3]
It is a yellow bee, visually similar to its westerly neighbor theA. m. scutellata except for it much smaller size. However relative to its body and leg sizes it has a long proboscis.[4]
Due to its smaller size, it builds small cells averaging only 4.62mm wide, with comb spacing ranging from 28-30mm. Its natural coastal range has a nearly continual nectar flow, resulting in brood being reared throughout most of the year. However in periods of dearth it will readily abscond when stores are exhausted.
Absconding can also be triggered by the colony coming under attack from the waspPalarus latifrons (Bee Pirate).[5]