Abstract: 【Aim】 Apis cerana cerana is a native bee species in China and an important pollinator in the ecosystem. As a major beekeeping province, Shaanxi Province in northwestern China spans three major climate zones from south to north, with significant regional differences in natural environment and rich varieties of honey source plants. In addition, there is a tradition of beekeeping in Shaanxi. Conducting morphological and genetic diversity research on geographical populations of A. c. cerana will provide the foundation for future utilization and protection. 【Methods】 Nineteen external morphological indicators were measured on 42 hives of A. c. cerana samples from 20 sampling localities in Shaanxi Province, and stepwise discriminant analysis and cluster analysis were performed. PCR amplification and sequencing were performed on gene fragments of tRNA^leu-COII, COI, ITS-1, ITS-2, and 18S rDNA, and phylogenetic tree was constructed based on nucleotide sequence using maximum likelihood method. 【Results】 A. c. cerana from the 20 sampling localities in Shaanxi Province exhibited differentiation in both morphological indicators and gene sequences of tRNA^leu-COII, COI, ITS-1, ITS-2, and 18S rDNA. The stepwise discriminant analysis based on morphological data showed that A. c. cerana in Baihe, Shangzhu, and Zhenping located in the Ta-pa Mountain were clustered into a group, while colonies HL2, HL4, HL9 and HL13 from Huanglong were clustered into a group. Cluster analysis based on morphological data showed that colonies YWC1, SD1, TJW1, KYM1 and KYM3 from the northern Shaanxi region were clustered into one branch, while colonies HX2, HX3, HX4, BH2, BH3, and SZ1 from the Tapa Mountain were clustered into one branch. Phylogenetic analysis based on the above gene sequences showed that colonies YWC1, SD1, TJW1, TJW2, TJW3, KYM1 and KYM2 from Yulin were clustered into one branch. Colonies HL1, HL2, HL3, HL5, HL7, HL8, HL9, HL10, HL11, HL12 and HL14 from Huanglong were clustered into one branch. Colonies BY1, BY2, YX1, YX2, BJ1 and BJ2 from the central Shaanxi plain and Hanzhong were clustered into one branch. Colonies HX1, HX2, HX3, HX4, QJP1, BH1 and BH3 from Ankang were clustered into one branch. 【Conclusion】 A. c. cerana in Shaanxi Province has high population diversity, and the collected hives can be divided into Northern Shaanxi type, Huanglong type, and Ta-pa Mountain type. A. c. cerana in the same region has higher similarity in morphological indicators and gene sequences, and there is also clustering of hives from different regions, indicating that A. c. cerana in Shaanxi faces the risk of population mixing and decreased diversity. Measures such as establishing more A. c. cerana conservation areas should be taken to strengthen the protection of geographical populations of A. c. cerana in the province.

Key words: Apis cerana cerana, geographical population, morphological indicators, population differentiation, phylogeny, Shaanxi Province