Electrophoretic Identification of Africanized Honeybees

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A procedure for analysing the results of protein electrophoresis for taxonomic purposes is described. Its application to identifying Africanized honeybees is presented, using previously reported data for the loci coding for malate dehydrogenase (Mdh), alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh), and a general protein band (P-3). Mdh can be used alone to identify individual workers as Africanized or European, with a probability of more than 90% for the reported populations, but it does not meet the 99% probability criterion for use as a diagnostic locus. When the reported results for all three loci are combined, individual Africanized or European workers should be identifiable with a probability of more than 99%. This degree of accuracy may not be possible in other populations, not yet assayed electrophoretically.