Muslim Ashor Aletby^1*

1 Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Basrah Iraq.
(*Corresponding author: Muslim Ashor Aletby, Email: muslim.abdel_wahed@uobasrah.edu.iq). 

Received: 11/ 9/ 2025            Accepted: 12/ 3/ 2026

Abstract: 

This study aimed to analyze the genetic diversity of honey bees Apis mellifera in Basrah Governorate, southern Iraq, using restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR (RFLP-PCR) of the intergenic COI-COII region in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). We collected 980 samples from 98 bee colonies distributed across six geographical regions. Results revealed moderate genetic diversity (75%), with three dominant bands (1200 bp, 800 bp, 400 bp) indicating polymorphism. UPGMA phylogenetic analysis clustered the samples into two main groups, reflecting genetic differences associated with geographical distribution. These findings underscore the significant role of geographic factors in shaping the genetic diversity of honey bees in the region.

Keywords: Apis mellifera, Mitochondrial DNA, Genetic polymorphism, RFLP-PCR, honeybees, Iraq.

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