RESUMEN

Tetragonula laeviceps sensu lato (s.l.) Smith 1857 has the most complicated nomenclatural history among the Tetragonula genera. The objective of this study was to investigate whether T. laeviceps s.l. individuals with worker bees are grouped in the same or nearly the same morphological characteristics and have similar COI haplotype cluster groups. A total of 147 worker bees of T. laeviceps s.l. were collected from six sampling sites in Sabah (RDC, Tuaran, Kota Marudu, Putatan, Kinarut and Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture (FSA)), but only 36 were selected for further studies. These specimens were first classified according to the most obvious morphological characteristics, i.e., hind tibia color, hind basitarsus color and body size. Group identification was based on morphological characteristics important for distinguishing the four groups within T. laeviceps s.l. The four groups of T. laeviceps s.l. had significantly different body trait measurements for the TL (total length), HW (head width), HL (head length), CEL (compound eye length), CEW (compound eye width), FWLT (forewing length, including tegula), FWW (forewing width), FWL (forewing length), ML (mesoscutum length), MW (mesoscutum width), SW (mesoscutellum width), SL (mesoscutellum length), HTL = (hind tibia length), HTW (hind tibia width), HBL (hind basitarsus length) and HBW (hind basitarsus width) (p < 0.001). Body color included HC (head color), CC (clypeus color), ASC (antennae scape color), CFPP (Clypeus and frons plumose pubescence), HTC (hind tibia color), BSC (basitarsus color), SP (leg setae pubescence), SP (Thorax mesoscutellum pubescence), SPL (thorax mesoscutellum pubescence length) and TC (thorax color) (p < 0.05). The most distinctive features of the morphological and morphometric characteristics measured by PCA and LDA biplot that distinguish Group 1 (TL6-1, TL6-2 and TL6-3) from the other groups were the yellowish-brown ASC and the dark brown TC. Group 2 (haplotypes TL2-1, TL2-2 and TL2-3 and TL4-1, TL4-2 and TL4-3) had a dark brown ASC and a black TC, while Group 3 (haplotypes TL11-1, TL11-2 and TL11-3) had a blackish-brown ASC, a black TC and the largest TL, FWW and FWL. As for phylogenetic relationships, 12 out of 36 haplotypes showed clear separation with good bootstrap values (97-100%). The rest of the haplotypes did not show clear differentiation between subclades that belonged together, regardless of their morphology and morphometric characteristics. This suggests that the combination of DNA barcoding for species identification and phylogenetic analysis, as well as traditional methods based on morphological grouping by body size and body color, can be reliably used to determine intraspecific variations within T. laeviceps s.l.

RESUMEN

The chemical properties of honey depend on the source of collection to packaging, but little is known about honey in Sabah. The aim of this study was to distinguish between the physicochemical properties and mineral content of 76 honey samples from local sources and supermarkets in Sabah, which were from contract beekeepers, unknown sources and branded honey. Raw honey was collected from contract beekeepers, while honey from unknown source was obtained from street vendors and wet markets, while branded honey was purchased from local supermarkets. The chemical parameters of the honey were assessed using established methods, while the mineral content of the honey was determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Significant differences were found in several parameters measured in honey from different sources, with principal component analysis (PCA) showing clear separation between the measured parameters, yielding five factors that accounted for up to 72.25% of the total explained variance. Honey from contract beekeepers showed significant differences and higher mineral content (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na and Zn) compared to honey from unknown source and branded honey. Potassium was the most important element in the study with an average of 2.65 g/kg and 629.4 mg/kg for sources from contract beekeepers and branded honey, respectively. The honey from the contract beekeepers was of better quality due to its high mineral content. The results suggest that honey from contract beekeepers could be a good choice when it comes to high mineral content.

Sifat kimia madu adalah bergantung kepada sumber pengumpulan hingga ke peringkat pembungkusan, namun demikian, maklumat tentang madu di Sabah kurang diketahui. Matlamat kajian ini adalah untuk membezakan antara sifat fisikokimia dan kandungan mineral bagi 76 sampel madu daripada sumber tempatan dan pasar raya di Sabah, iaitu daripada penternak lebah kontrak, sumber yang tidak diketahui dan madu berjenama. Madu mentah diperoleh daripada penternak lebah kontrak, manakala madu daripada sumber yang tidak diketahui telah diperoleh daripada peniaga jalanan dan pasar basah, manakala madu berjenama dibeli dari pasar raya tempatan. Parameter kimia madu dinilai menggunakan kaedah sedia ada yang telah ditetapkan, manakala kandungan mineral madu ditentukan menggunakan inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Terdapat perbezaan bererti bagi beberapa parameter yang diukur dalam madu daripada sumber yang berbeza dan analisis komponen utama (PCA) menunjukkan perbezaan yang jelas antara parameter yang diukur, menghasilkan lima faktor yang menyumbang sehingga 72.25% daripada jumlah varians yang dijelaskan. Madu dari penternak lebah kontrak menunjukkan perbezaan yang ketara dan kandungan mineral yang lebih tinggi (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na dan Zn) berbanding madu dari sumber yang tidak diketahui dan madu berjenama. Kalium merupakan unsur terpenting dalam kajian dengan purata 2.65 g/kg dan 629.4 mg/kg masing-masing untuk sumber daripada penternak lebah kontrak dan madu berjenama. Madu dari penternak lebah kontrak adalah lebih berkualiti kerana kandungan mineralnya yang tinggi. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa madu daripada penternak lebah kontrak boleh menjadi pilihan yang baik kerana ia mempunyai kandungan mineral yang tinggi.