TY - JOUR

T1 - Integrating evidence to disentangle multiple cryptic speciation events in a cuckoo bumblebee species group

AU - Бывальцев, Александр Михайлович

AU - Biella, Paolo

AU - Maggioni, Davide

AU - Streinzer, Martin

AU - Williams, Paul H.

AU - Ødegaard, Frode

AU - Ramazzotti, Fausto

AU - Sheffield, Cory S.

AU - Japoshvili, George

AU - Neumayer, Johann

AU - Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu.

AU - Ren, Zong-Xin

AU - Galimberti, Andrea

N1 - Biella P, Maggioni D, Streinzer M, Williams PH, Byvaltsev A, et al. 2026. Integrating evidence to disentangle multiple cryptic speciation events in a cuckoo bumblebee species group. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 2026: e016 https://doi.org/10.48130/jzser-0026-0016 The project was funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.4 – Call for Tenders No. 3138 of 16 December 2021, rectified by Decree No. 3175 of 18 December 2021 of the Italian Ministry of University and Research, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. Award Number: Project code (CN_00000033), Concession Decree No. 1034 of 17 June 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP (H43C22000530001). Project title: 'National Biodiversity Future Center – NBFC'. This project was supported by the SYNTHESIS+ Call 4 awarded to author PB, and by the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, Project 232530334, awarded to author PB. Author MP is supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, No. 124012400285-7.

PY - 2026/10/9

Y1 - 2026/10/9

N2 - Integrating multiple approaches for the study of lineages is fundamental, and searching for coherent evidence is generally accepted as a way to discover new species. Bumblebee speciation is ideal for study due to taxonomic history, color mimicry, and morphological challenges. Here, we focused on the Bombus flavidus species group, cuckoo bumblebees, by characterizing the genetic lineages and variation, investigating morphometrics of wing shape and body parts, and studying morphology. From 553 COI sequences within the B. flavidus species group, B. barbutellus species and B. bohemicus group, and 265 morphological specimens, lines of evidence coherently demonstrated distinct lineages, especially within the B. flavidus, B. norvegicus, and B. sylvestris complexes. Multiple gene-based delimitation algorithms identified three new lineages, and morphology and morphometrics also confirmed this, leading to a new taxonomic status for Bombus lutescens stat. nov. in South Europe, Bombus sichuanicus Biella sp. nov. in South-East Asia, and Bombus popovi stat. nov. in East Asia. Since these new clades occur at the periphery of the species complex's range, speciation at the distribution edges is interpreted as a possible mechanism, while possible host-shifts are also discussed. This study illuminates broad zoological research questions, showing that integrating sources of evidence is operationally useful for studying speciation events in the context of cryptic lineages, while also clarifying the evolutionary history of an intricate bumblebee group.

AB - Integrating multiple approaches for the study of lineages is fundamental, and searching for coherent evidence is generally accepted as a way to discover new species. Bumblebee speciation is ideal for study due to taxonomic history, color mimicry, and morphological challenges. Here, we focused on the Bombus flavidus species group, cuckoo bumblebees, by characterizing the genetic lineages and variation, investigating morphometrics of wing shape and body parts, and studying morphology. From 553 COI sequences within the B. flavidus species group, B. barbutellus species and B. bohemicus group, and 265 morphological specimens, lines of evidence coherently demonstrated distinct lineages, especially within the B. flavidus, B. norvegicus, and B. sylvestris complexes. Multiple gene-based delimitation algorithms identified three new lineages, and morphology and morphometrics also confirmed this, leading to a new taxonomic status for Bombus lutescens stat. nov. in South Europe, Bombus sichuanicus Biella sp. nov. in South-East Asia, and Bombus popovi stat. nov. in East Asia. Since these new clades occur at the periphery of the species complex's range, speciation at the distribution edges is interpreted as a possible mechanism, while possible host-shifts are also discussed. This study illuminates broad zoological research questions, showing that integrating sources of evidence is operationally useful for studying speciation events in the context of cryptic lineages, while also clarifying the evolutionary history of an intricate bumblebee group.

KW - Apidae

KW - интегративная зоология

KW - новые виды

KW - Psithyrus

KW - разграничение видов

KW - таксономия

KW - Apidae

KW - Integrative zoology

KW - New species

KW - Psithyrus

KW - Species delimitation

KW - Taxonomy

U2 - 10.48130/jzser-0026-0016

DO - 10.48130/jzser-0026-0016

M3 - Article

JO - Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research

JF - Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research

SN - 0947-5745

IS - e016

M1 - e016

ER -