Genetic structure of Africanized honeybee populations (Apis mellifera L.) from Brazil and Uruguay viewed through mitochondrial DNA COI–COII patterns

Abstract

Mitochondrial genotypes of Africanized honeybees fromBrazil and Uruguay were surveyed by DraI restriction of the COI-COII region. Eleven mitotypes were found, three of which had not previously been described (A28-A30). Out of 775 samples (725 from Brazil, 50 from Uruguay), 197 were A1 and 520 were A4. A1 frequency increases toward the north of Brazil, whereas A4 frequency increases toward the south, a pattern echoing the African distribution. The origin of the A4 and most of the A1 African patterns can be attributed to the introduction of Apis mellifera scutellata into Brazil in 1956. The A29 and A30 patterns have the P1 sequence observed in many Iberian Peninsula samples, which represent the traces of the introductions into Brazil and Uruguay by settlers.

Stock composition of northern neotropical honey bees: mitotype and morphotype diversity in Mexico (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

“…Notoriously, European matrilines are still found in high frequencies even in the most Africanized areas (up to 30 %) of the tropical Gulf coast and Yucatan Peninsula. In particular, the east-European mitotype Cs are high in managed Mexican bees in contrast with those found in feral neotropical populations (Hall and Muralidharan 1989;Hall 1992) and managed populations from South America, except in the Yucatan Peninsula (Clarke et al 2001;Collet et al 2006). Interestingly, the frequency of C matrilines in the three tropical areas in our study is similar to that found in the Yucatan Peninsula in 1998 (Clarke et al 2002).…”

“…Since 1986, African matrilines have probably entered apiaries via the capture of feral swarms by the beekeepers or by takeover of weak or queenless European colonies by African swarms, as reported elsewhere (Vergara et al 1993;Quezada-Euán et al 1996;Clarke et al 2001;Collet et al 2006). Notoriously, European matrilines are still found in high frequencies even in the most Africanized areas (up to 30 %) of the tropical Gulf coast and Yucatan Peninsula.…”

Genetic characterization of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) population of Rodrigues Island, based on microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA

“…Of the 278 individuals sequenced (Figure 1), three different sequences were detected. Two were previously described as the C1(a) haplotype belonging to populations of the A. m. ligustica subspecies (GenBank accession FJ478010.1 (Franck et al 2001), JQ977699.1 , EF033655.1 (Collet et al 2006)) and the C2(j) haplotype reported in A. m. carnica (JF723978.1). The third sequence exhibited 99 % similarity with C1 and presented a new polymorphic site.…”

Honeybee health in South America

“…Additionally, the current distribution of Africanized genes, which reveals better sanitary conditions, is inaccurate in SA. In Venezuela and Brazil, beekeepers utilize Africanized honeybees (De Jong 1984;Thimann 2001), while in Uruguay, most honeybees are hybrids between European bees and Africanized bees from Brazil (Collet et al 2006). The persistence of the non-African haplotypes in western provinces may be due to a strong introduction of European queens (Branchiccela et al 2014).…”