taxonID	type	description	language	source
4857878CFFC1FC08F1D778AAFE70F60F.taxon	discussion	COMMENTS: The name aquisextusensis was unnecessarily proposed in 1999 (Nel et al., 1999) for a species proposed three years earlier by the same authors and based on the same material (Arillo et al., 1996). The specimens upon which the species A. aquisextusensis was based were first mentioned by Arillo et al. (1996), and at that time referred to as A. aquisextana. Since Arillo et al. (1996) provided a type designation and diagnosis for A. aquisextana the name became validated in that article (ICZN, 1999). Later, in a treatment of fossil honey bees, this species was recognized as a junior synonym of the more widely distributed Oligo – Miocene species A. henshawi (Engel, 1998). Confusingly, while reviewing fossil honey bees from Europe, the same authors who proposed A. aquisextana proposed a second name for specimens of the same type series (Nel et al., 1999). In their second contribution, however, these authors designated a different specimen as the holotype and employed the name A. aquisextusensis (Nel et al., 1999). Since a name had already been proposed based on the same material, A. aquisextusensis immediately became a junior synonym of A. aquisextana (and thereby indirectly of A. henshawi). Owing to this confusion, I herein provide a revised taxonomic summary for A. henshawi and officially propose the required synonymy of A. aquisextusensis.	en	ENGEL, MICHAEL S. (2006): A Giant Honey Bee from the Middle Miocene of Japan (Hymenoptera: Apidae). American Museum Novitates 3504 (1): 1-12, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0082(2006)504[0001:AGHBFT]2.0.CO;2, URL: http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1206%2F0003-0082(2006)504%5B0001%3AAGHBFT%5D2.0.CO%3B2
4857878CFFC2FC08F3C77CCFFC04F0CC.taxon	discussion	COMMENTS: Hepburn et al. (2001) unnecessarily introduced, into an already voluminous and confusing taxonomic literature, two additional names for forms of the widely distributed Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana (vide etiam ‘‘ abaensis ’’ under A. cerana heimifeng, infra). Both names are nomina nuda under the current ICZN rules (ICZN, 1999) and therefore are not available for usage as epithets. The name ‘‘ abaensis ’’ was proposed for a form that had already been validated under another name (heimifeng). The name A. cerana hainanensis, however, was a novel introduction for a variety on Hainan Island that had not previously been given a Latinized name. Thus, in order to retain this form as a valid subspecies it must be proposed anew. In general, however, subspecies within Apis should all be synonymized under their respective species and I have, therefore, not attempted to validate a name for this form herein. If ever validated, then this name will take its authorship and date from any later publication in cases of competing priority.	en	ENGEL, MICHAEL S. (2006): A Giant Honey Bee from the Middle Miocene of Japan (Hymenoptera: Apidae). American Museum Novitates 3504 (1): 1-12, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0082(2006)504[0001:AGHBFT]2.0.CO;2, URL: http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1206%2F0003-0082(2006)504%5B0001%3AAGHBFT%5D2.0.CO%3B2
4857878CFFC2FC09F20679CBFF43F49A.taxon	discussion	COMMENTS: Peng et al. (1989) performed a preliminary morphometric study of variation in the Asian honey bee, A. cerana. From these studies they recognized several distinctive morphoclusters that they termed races and to which they gave vernacular names (for purposes of discussion). One race was identified with the vernacular name ‘‘ Aba race’ ’ and later validated as A. cerana heimifeng. Peng et al. (1989) never employed their name ‘‘ Aba’ ’ as a Latinized taxonomic entity. Recently, Hepburn et al. (2001) have unfortunately turned this vernacular name into a Latinized epithet by employing it as a subspecific name for which it was never intended, rather than use an already valid taxonomic name for this morphotype.	en	ENGEL, MICHAEL S. (2006): A Giant Honey Bee from the Middle Miocene of Japan (Hymenoptera: Apidae). American Museum Novitates 3504 (1): 1-12, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0082(2006)504[0001:AGHBFT]2.0.CO;2, URL: http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1206%2F0003-0082(2006)504%5B0001%3AAGHBFT%5D2.0.CO%3B2
4857878CFFC2FC08F1B879CBFB6FF5C0.taxon	discussion	COMMENTS: This subspecific epithet is plagued by any number of troubles. Firstly, the ICZN (1999) explicitly prohibits the use of hyphenation or other marks (e. g., umlauts, diereses, diacritics) and the name must be emended to a single word. More troubling, however, is that the name as proposed is not available in zoological nomenclature. The subspecies was not provided with a description in words purported to differentiate the taxon, and no holotype (or type series of any kind!) was designated, as expressly required by the ICZN (1999) for the purpose of nomenclatural stability. The name must be considered a nomen nudum and may not be used. In general, however, I believe subspecies within Apis should all be synonymized under their respective species and I have, therefore, not attempted to validate a name for this form herein. If ever validated, then this name will take its authorship and date from any such later publication in cases of competing priority.	en	ENGEL, MICHAEL S. (2006): A Giant Honey Bee from the Middle Miocene of Japan (Hymenoptera: Apidae). American Museum Novitates 3504 (1): 1-12, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0082(2006)504[0001:AGHBFT]2.0.CO;2, URL: http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1206%2F0003-0082(2006)504%5B0001%3AAGHBFT%5D2.0.CO%3B2
4857878CFFC3FC09F3947DC1FC80F669.taxon	discussion	COMMENTS: Although the names himalaya and himalayana (the latter overlooked in my 1999 treatment) as Latinized epithets are nomina nuda and therefore unavailable, it has not stopped them from being used frequently in the literature (e. g., Hepburn et al., 2001). A validly proposed name is available for this race, i. e., A. cerana skorikovi, and should be used to the exclusion of other subspecific epithets.	en	ENGEL, MICHAEL S. (2006): A Giant Honey Bee from the Middle Miocene of Japan (Hymenoptera: Apidae). American Museum Novitates 3504 (1): 1-12, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0082(2006)504[0001:AGHBFT]2.0.CO;2, URL: http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1206%2F0003-0082(2006)504%5B0001%3AAGHBFT%5D2.0.CO%3B2
4857878CFFC3FC09F1C47C15FF0DF669.taxon	description	Apis cerana, Xizang race, Peng et al., 1989: 15.	en	ENGEL, MICHAEL S. (2006): A Giant Honey Bee from the Middle Miocene of Japan (Hymenoptera: Apidae). American Museum Novitates 3504 (1): 1-12, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0082(2006)504[0001:AGHBFT]2.0.CO;2, URL: http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1206%2F0003-0082(2006)504%5B0001%3AAGHBFT%5D2.0.CO%3B2
