Highly polytypic taxon complex: interspecific and intraspecific integrative taxonomic assessment of the widespread pollinator Bombus pascuorumScopoli 1763 (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Abstract

The recent development of the integrative taxonomic approach in bumblebees has led to unexpected merging or splitting of several taxa. Here we investigate the taxonomic statuses of one of the most abundant, widespread and polytypic Palearctic bumblebees, Bombus pascuorum. The latest review of this species includes 24 subspecies. We used an integrative approach based on genetic markers and male chemical reproductive traits and compared our results with the former classifications. Our results show that all B. pascuorum taxa are conspecific and share the same male chemical reproductive traits. The genetic structure observed in one mitochondrial and two nuclear markers poorly reflects the current subspecific classification. Indeed, the concordance of population genetic differentiation, population geographic distribution, and population colour pattern similarity suggests a different meaningful prospective classification with four taxon complexes: (i) the B. pascuorum dusmeti group, including all taxa from the Iberian Peninsula and south-west France; (ii) B. pascuorum rehbinderi; (iii) B. pascuorum siciliensis; and (iv) B. pascuorum floralis groups (including all other taxa studied here).

Ecological niche modelling and coalescent simulations to explore the recent geographical range history of five widespread bumblebee species in Europe

“…The phenotypic differentiation observed within these species (i.e. several allopatric subspecies described, especially in the southern peninsulas and Anatolia; Rasmont et al ., ; Lecocq et al ., ) further supports a history of intraspecific fragmentation.…”

“…() for B. hortorum and B. pratorum , and Lecocq et al . () for B. pascuorum (see Fig. for the sampling locations for each species).…”

Review of the Icelandic bee fauna (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila)

“…This subspecies occurs also in Finland except Lapland (see fig. 2 in LECOCQ et al 2015). Flower visits Flower visits of a queen on Lamium maculatum and workers on Lupinus nootkatensis and Vicium sepium could be observed by the author.…”

“…B. lucorum is very competitive in flower utilisation; this is shown in contrast to B. hypnorum e. g. by TERÄS (1985). 3.3 Bombus (Thoracobombus) pascuorum sparreanus (Løken, 1973) Status B. pascuorum (Scopoli, 1763) exhibits a large diversity after the last taxonomic revision, three allopatric and 21 parapatric subspecies (LECOCQ et al 2015). The introduced species can be classified as B. p. sparreanus (Løken, 1973) from central Fennoscandia (distribution from the west coast of Norway across the mountains eastwards throughout the conifer forest to the Gulf of Bothnia).…”

“…Bombus pascuorum is a highly polytypic taxon (LECOCQ et al 2015). The origin of the documented introduced specimens is Norway.…”