The Muscles of the Adult Honey-bee (Apis mellifera L.)

Whilst the anatomy of the bee has been described in detail in many languages and in many thousands of publications, there is yet a gap in the literature for a complete account of the detailed histology and physiology of its muscles. Such a work is necessary as a basis for the investigation of the pathological changes of the muscles in some diseases of adult bees. Part I (‘The Healthy Muscles of the Adult Honey-bee’) of this paper is submitted as a contribution towards filling the gap, and as an introduction to Part II (‘The Pathological Muscles of the Adult Honey-bee’), which will deal with the pathological changes observed in some diseases of adult bees. Owing to the length of Part I it has been necessary to divide it into three sections, of which the first (the following paper) will deal with the somatic musculature, the second with the other muscle systems and the physiology, and the third with the chemistry of the muscle.