Haplotypes, median networks, and diagnostic characters as tools to elucidate the intraspecific genetic and taxonomic structure of bumblebees, with a description of Bombus cryptarum pallidocinctus new subspecies (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus).

Abstract

An alignment of 168 sequences of mitochondrial DNA of Bombus cryptarum reveals 29 haplotypes. A median network shows five distinct clusters, haplogroups (HG) A-E, which can be defined by diagnostic characters. Four of these HGs can be assigned to well-known taxa: HG-A = B. cryptarum cryptarum; HG-B = B. cryptarum florilegus; HG-D = B. cryptarum albocinctus; and HG-E = B. cryptarum moderatus. Haplogroup C represents a new taxon B. cryptarum pallidocinctus in the rank of a subspecies. This new subspecies is described. The geographic distribution of the Eurasiatic taxa is described and the implications of geographic distribution and median network for the phylogeny are discussed.

Keywords

Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus, mitochondrial DNA, new subspecies, geographic distribution

Nomenclatural Acts

cryptarum pallidocinctus Bertsch et al., 2014 (Bombus), subspec. n.