Apis mellifera
Classification
The meaning of Apis mellifera in English is honey
bearing or producing bee, because honey bees process nectar and pollen into
honey. This phylogenetic tree is based on morphological
concept.
Domain:
Eukaryota- Honey
bees are members of the domain Eukaryota because their cells have
a membrane-bound nucleus
Kingdom: Animalia-
Honey bees are members of the Animalia because they
are, multicellular, heterotrophic and motile at some point in life.
Phylum:
Arthropoda-
Honey bees are members of the Arthropoda
because they have segmented bodies and a jointed
exoskeleton.
Epiclass:
Hexapoda-
Honey bees are members of the Hexapoda because
they have 6 walking appendages and 3 body segments.
Class: Insecta-
Honey bees are members of the Insecta because: they don't have any muscles past
the first segment of their antenna; they have something called Johnston's organ;
and they have
an internal
structure inside the head
Order:
Hymenoptera-
Honey bees are
members of the group Hymenoptera
because they have “membranous wings, and their
abdomen's first segment is fused with the last segment
of the thorax.
Family: Apidae-
Honey bees are
members of the group Apidae because they
have a corbicula (pollen basket) on the outside of each hind appendage.
Genus: Apis-
All members of this genus are actually honey bees, but this website only deals
with the species Apis mellifera.
Species: mellifera-
This is the particular species of honey bee.