 It is now classified once again as a subspecies of "Apis dorsata" (Engel, 1999).It is highly adapted to its highland habitat in behavior and there has evidently been little gene flow between it and lowland "A. dorsata" for millions of years; some consider this evidence that it should be classified as a species (Arias & Sheppard 2005).Limited to the Himalayas, it is the largest of the "Apis" species.