Discrimination of bee populations in C？te d’Ivoire by geometrical morphometry

A single honeybee subspecies, Apis mellifera adansonii, has been described from all of West and Central Africa. The data in the literature concerning the characteristics of honeybees present in C？te d’Ivoire are less numerous than in European subspecies. The present study characterizes the morphological diversity and deepens the knowledge on the local subspecies of honeybees thanks to geometric morphometrics approach based on the configuration of the landmarks located on the wings, from a sample of 1,620 worker bees of the subspecies Apis mellifera adansonii collected in the Center, North and West of C？te d’Ivoire. Geometric morphometrics indicates that despite the diverse shapes and colors observed, the collected honeybees constitute a fairly homogeneous group with an absence of geographical differentiation within the colonies.