ABSTRACT
The genus Apis has evolved some of the most complex social behavior of any of the Apidae. In considering apid social behavior in an evolutionary context, we are fortunate that Apidae contains taxa exhibiting all levels of social organization, from solitary, to primitively eusocial, to highly eusocial. A resurgence of the phylogenetic approach among honey bee behaviorists and ecologists is evident in current investigations of the dance language. Phylogenetic relationships among the tribes of Apidae traditionally have been inferred by comparative study of morphological characters. The development of a well-corroborated phylogenetic hypothesis for the Apidae should be a high priority for evolutionary studies of apid biology. There are some unique advantages that molecular data can bring to the study of apid phylogeny. A more complete understanding of apid diversity, however, will require further input from morphological and molecular systematists, behaviorists and ecologists, alike.
