Identification of SNPs associated with the morphology of Chinese honeybees, Apis cerana

The classic appearance measurement is an important methods for species classification, genetic breeding, and biological performance evaluation. However, due to the small size of honeybees, the advantage of morphology measurement is not present. With the popularization of next-generation sequencing, SNPs associated with the morphology of honeybees have been identified, enabling evaluation of honeybee morphology by simple sequencing. (1) We first used the whole genome data of 110 Chinese honeybees, Apis cerana (the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau type) and 33 morphological indicators for genome-wide association studies. And, 421 candidate SNPs related to 30 traits of the honeybee were firstly screened. (2) Another 107 Chinese honeybees (the Central China type) were selected to verify candidate SNPs. Finally, valid SNPs were obtained.