MDH SYSTEM IN HONEYBEES OF GUADALOUPE

The malate dehydrogenase (MDH) enzyme activity of honeybee thoraces after polyacrylamide electrophoresis has identified several zones. The most anodal one is polymorphic in the Guadaloupean population and is controlled by one locus with three alleles (a, b, c), but the geographical distribution of these alleles is uneven. Their frequencies, calculated from a sample of 43 colonies, show a prevalence of the b allele: a = 0.07, b = 0.88, c = 0.05. The majority of a and c alleles is found on one island (Basse-Terre), especially on its lee shore. These results may be related to the honeybee settlement history in Guadaloupe: a few swarms introduced three centuries ago produced a more or less uniform population, but recent importations of foreign queens have increased genetic variability. © 1979 American Genetic Association.