Subspecies
(following Engel, 1999).
- Apis cerana cerana Fabricius ( = "sinensis") - Afghanistan, Pakistan, north India, China and north Vietnam
- Apis cerana heimifeng Engel
- Apis cerana indica - Fabricius South India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines
- Apis cerana japonica Fabricius - Japan
- Apis cerana javana Enderlein
- Apis cerana johni Skorikov
- Apis cerana nuluensis Tingek, Koeniger and Koeniger
- Apis cerana skorikovi Engel ( = "himalaya") - Central and east Himalayan mountains (Ruttner, 1987)
There are eight subspecies of A. cerana are currently recognized out of eight two of subspecies are predominant and used for Apiculture in India are: Apis cerana cerana and Apis cerana indica, these species are similar to Apis mellifera except in color A. cerana indica is black stripes on their abdomen and they live close to hilly areas and are sometimes seen in plain regions, A. cerana cerana has yellow stripes on their abdomen and habituated to plain regions of India, and A. mellifera tends to be slightly larger than A. cerana and can be readily distinguished from A. mellifera. These are less aggressive and also less swarming behavior than any other wild bees such as Apis dorsata and Apis florea and can be easily used for beekeeping.
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