Apis karinjodian: New honeybee species, endemic to Western Ghats, found

Source: The post is based on the article “New honeybee species, endemic to Western Ghats, found” published in The Hindu on 7th November 2022. 

What is the News?

A new species of endemic Honeybee has been discovered in the Western Ghats. It has been named Apis karinjodian and given the common name Indian Black Honeybee.

What is Apis karinjodian?

Apis karinjodian is a species of honeybee that has been spotted from the Western Ghats after a gap of more than 200 years. 

The last honeybee described from India was Apis indica in 1798. But it was not considered a valid species till now. 

Characteristics: Apis karinjodian has evolved from Apis cerana morphotypes that got acclimatised to the hot and humid environment of the Western Ghats.

Distribution: The distribution of Apis karinjodian ranges from the central Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats.

The species has been classified as Near Threatened(NT) in the State based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

Significance: The ability of the Indian black Honey Bee to produce higher quantities of honey, which is thicker in consistency, opens up new avenues for increasing honey production.