Abstract / Introduction / Summary:
The Amami Islands are located in a subtropical region and serve as a habitat for numerous endemic and rare species. The Japanese honeybee, Apis cerana japonica, is a native species widely distributed across the Japanese archipelago, with its presence also confirmed on the Amami Islands. However, the distribution and genetic characteristics of this species on some of these islands remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution and genetic variation of the Japanese honeybee on Amami- Oshima, Kikaijima, Kakeromajima, Ukejima and Yorojima Islands.
We conducted a survey on the distribution of A. c. japonica across these islands. The results confirmed the presence of Japanese honeybees on Amami- Oshima, Kakeromajima, Ukejima, and Yorojima Islands, with the Japanese honeybee being confirmed for the first time on Yorojima. However, no evidence of the species was found on Kikaijima, where only the European honeybee, A. mellifera, was observed. Furthermore, mitochondrial DNA from the COX1 gene was analyzed, comparing individuals from the Amami Islands with those from other regions. Genetic analysis revealed that individuals from Amami-Oshima, Kakeromajima, Ukejima and Yorojima Islands exhibited a distinctive haplotype, C1, which differed from those found in other regions. Molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed that individuals from the four islands belong to the A. c. japonica cluster. This research has demonstrated that the Japanese honeybee populations on these four islands are genetically distinct from those in other regions.
