Apis laboriosa

Himalayan giant honey bee
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Apis
Species:	A. laboriosa
Binomial name
	Apis laboriosa; Smith, 1871

Apis laboriosa or Himalayan giant honey bee, is the world's largest honey bee; single adults can measure up to 3.0 cm (1.2 in) in length. Before 1980, Apis laboriosa was considered to be a subspecies of the widespread Apis dorsata, the giant honey bee, but in 1980 and for almost 20 years thereafter it was elevated to the rank of a separate species. It was classified once again as a subspecies of Apis dorsata by Michael S. Engel in 1999,^[1] but was confirmed as a full species in 2020 on the basis of co-occurrence with Apis dorsata at many sites with no sign of interbreeding.^[2] It is highly adapted to its highland habitat in behavior.

^ Engel, Michael S. (1999). "The taxonomy of recent and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apis)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 8: 165–196.
^ Kitnya, Nyaton; Prabhudev, M. V.; Bhatta, Chet Prasad; Pham, Thai Hong; Nidup, Tshering; Megu, Karsing; Chakravorty, Jharna; Brockmann, Axel; Otis, G. W. (2020). "Geographical distribution of the giant honey bee Apis laboriosa Smith, 1871 (Hymenoptera, Apidae)". ZooKeys (951): 67–81. doi:10.3897/zookeys.951.49855. PMC 7390808. PMID 32774106.

[1] Engel, Michael S. (1999). "The taxonomy of recent and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apis)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 8: 165–196.

[KitnyaEtAl-2] Kitnya, Nyaton; Prabhudev, M. V.; Bhatta, Chet Prasad; Pham, Thai Hong; Nidup, Tshering; Megu, Karsing; Chakravorty, Jharna; Brockmann, Axel; Otis, G. W. (2020). "Geographical distribution of the giant honey bee Apis laboriosa Smith, 1871 (Hymenoptera, Apidae)". ZooKeys (951): 67–81. doi:10.3897/zookeys.951.49855. PMC 7390808. PMID 32774106.

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