Bombus alagesianus Reinig, 1930

Williams, Paul H., Altanchimeg, Dorjsuren, Byvaltsev, Alexandr, Jonghe, Roland De, Jaffar, Saleem, Japoshvili, George, Kahono, Sih, Liang, Huan, Mei, Maurizio, Monfared, Alireza, Nidup, Tshering, Raina, Rifat, Ren, Zongxin, Thanoosing, Chawatat, Zhao, Yanhui & Orr, Michael C., 2020, Widespread polytypic species or complexes of local species? Revising bumblebees of the subgenus Melanobombus world-wide (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus), European Journal of Taxonomy 719, pp. 1-120 : 81-83

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2020.719.1107
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A4500016-C219-4353-B81C-5E0BB520547F
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14372072
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/252087CA-1F12-956B-FD9F-FEA9DF47F8EC
treatment provided by	Valdenar
scientific name	Bombus alagesianus Reinig, 1930
status	stat. nov.

Treatment

Bombus alagesianus Reinig, 1930 View in CoL stat. rev.

Figs 16 View Figs 14‒16 , 148–150 View Figs 139–180 , 199 View Figs 199‒204 , 212 View Figs 211–212

Bombus alagesianus Reinig, 1930: 89 View in CoL .

Lapidariobombus alagesianus subsp. kubanensis Skorikov, 1931: 226 View in CoL .

Bombus keriensis View in CoL (part) – Reinig 1935: 341. — Williams 1998: 134 (non Morawitz, 1887: 199).

The name Lapidariobombus alagesianus was first published by Skorikov (1923: 152) for a species, but without any description of characters and without a statement to indicate clearly the intention to publish the name of a new species (on page 145 there is also a list that includes “ Lapidariobombus alagesianus [and] subsp. cubanensis ”, but with no further reference or description). It is possible that a manuscript appendix describing this and other new species was written but not included in the publication for some reason. The distribution of L. alagesianus was given on page 152 as Caucasus and Central Asia. Because this name was published with a locality but without a character description it is unavailable ( ICZN 1999: Article 12.1, 12.3).

The name B. alagesianus was later published by Reinig (1930) for a species from the Transcaucasus alone, together with a short character description. It is quite possible that Reinig was referring to Skorikov’s 1923 name alagesianus , but from Reinig’s 1930 text there is no indication directly and explicitly connecting the name alagesianus with Skorikov. Furthermore, Reinig (1935: 340) refers to a taxon “f.g. alagesianus Reinig, 1930 ” of B. keriensis , so he appears to have believed at that time that he had been the first to describe the taxon alagesianus . Reinig’s 1930 description acknowledges that B. alagesianus matches B. separandus in a couple of colour-pattern characters (that differ from B. sichelii ) and also distinguishes B. alagesianus from B. separandus by describing B. alagesianus as occurring in “Transkaukasien” rather than in the “Boro-Choro-Gebirge” (Xinjiang, Central Asia) as for B. separandus (higher on the same page). This minimal character description for B. alagesianus Reinig is considered sufficient (and combined with the locality is actually fully diagnostic), so the name B. alagesianus is available ( ICZN 1999: Article 12.1). Therefore L. alagesianus Skorikov (1923) is an unavailable name and B. alagesianus Reinig (1930) is the oldest name to meet the requirements for availability and is the valid name for the species.

The taxon alagesianus was treated as a part of B. keriensis s. lat. by Reinig (1935) and by Williams (1998). It was listed as a species separate from B. keriensis by Rasmont (1983) and by Lecocq et al. (2015), although neither of these publications gives reasons to justify the change in interpretation.

Our PTP analysis ( Fig. 10 View Fig ) of coalescents in the COI gene within the keriensis -complex supports six species including B. alagesianus , corroborated by differences in morphology. These species are also supported by the absence of a positive divergence-with-distance relationship among them ( Fig. 20 View Figs 17–20 ) (see Divergence and geographical distance, page 12).

From morphology, B. alagesianus has a more extensively pale colour pattern in the hair on the side of the thorax than most keriensis s. str. for the females (larger workers and queens). This revision is the first time that white-banded individuals have been recognised to be part of B. alagesianus . Bombus alagesianus has often been confused with other species of the subgenus Melanobombus , especially because it is uncommon and occurs with both yellow-banded and white-banded colour patterns.

Diagnosis

Females

Queens medium-sized body length 17–20 mm, workers 9–14 mm. Can be distinguished in West Asia by their combination of hair on the face black, hair on T2 yellow or nearly white without any black hairs

posteriorly, and the hindleg corbicular fringes with some extensively orange hairs (cf. B. lapidarius , B. sichelii , B. eriophorus , B. incertus ).

Males

Body length 9–11 mm. Can be distinguished in West Asia by hair on T2 pale without any black hairs posteriorly. Genitalia ( Fig. 199 View Figs 199‒204 ) with the gonostylus as long as broad, its inner basal projection reduced to a short stub (cf. rufipes- group, festivus- group, rufofasciatus -group); volsella with the inner distal corner broadly produced but without a narrow hook (cf. rufipes- group, festivus- group, rufofasciatus - group); eye unenlarged relative to female eye.

Material examined

The specimen detailed below from the RMNH collection is possibly a syntype of B. alagesianus Reinig (1930) , which would then be eligible for designation as a lectotype. According to A. de Boer (in litt.), Reinig worked for O. Vogt within the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research in Berlin until the early 1930s, where Reinig might have seen this specimen in Vogt’s collection. Vogt’s collection was donated to the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam in 1960 and this collection was recently transferred to the RMNH. However, there is no definite evidence either from the specimen labels or from Reinig’s (1930) text to show that this specimen was one of those examined and described by Reinig (1930) and most of Reinig’s pre-war types are known to have been destroyed (P. Rasmont in litt.). In view of the uncertainty in the status of this specimen as a syntype and the uncertainty in the identity of the species, it is considered preferable to designate this specimen as a neotype.

Neotype designation

We believe that there is an exceptional need to designate a neotype ( ICZN 1999: Article 75.3.1) to clarify the taxonomic status of B. alagesianus Reinig (1930) because there are no definite extant types and because this species is difficult to distinguish from and easily confused with other species of the subgenus Melanobombus .

Reinig (1930) differentiated B. alagesianus from other similar species ( ICZN 1999: Article 75.3.2) of the subgenus Melanobombus in West Asia by the hair on T2 pale without any black hairs, in having hair of similar length to B. separandus , and in having the red hair of the metasoma similar in hue to B. separandus .

The neotype can be recognised uniquely ( ICZN 1999:Article 75.3.3) as a yellow-banded queen bumblebee in the RMNH collection that agrees with the original description and carries six labels: (1) handwritten faded white label “Alagez, Trans-/ kaukasien /9.VII.09” (= Mt Alagyaz = Mt Aragats); (2) handwritten faded white label “ B. lapidarius subsp./ alagesianus Skorikov /A. Skorikov det”; (3) handwritten pink label “Cotype”; (4) red label printed in black “ Bombus / separandus ? alagesianus / Reinig, 1930 / ZMAN type HYME.0003.1”; (5) white label printed in black “ZMA.INS.956675 [barcode]”; (6) red label printed in black “ NEOTYPE ♀ / Bombus / alagesianus / Reinig, 1930 / det. PH Williams 2018 ”.

We believe that the name-bearing types of B. alagesianus Reinig (1930) may have all been destroyed ( ICZN 1999: Article 75.3.4). Reinig’s description of B. alagesianus does not specify a holotype or a number of syntypes. According to P. Rasmont (in litt.), any of Reinig’s pre-war types not in the collection of the Instituut voor Taxonomische Zôlogie in Amsterdam (now transferred to the RMNH) must be considered to have been destroyed by soldiers during the winter of 1945. The RMNH collection contains a single queen labelled B. lapidarius subsp. alagesianus Skorikov by Skorikov, although there is no evidence from the specimen labels or from Reinig’s (1930) text that this specimen was examined and described by Reinig (1930).

The neotype matches the original description ( ICZN 1999: Article 75.3.5) of B. alagesianus Reinig’s (1930) in having no black hair on metasomal T2, in having hair of similar length to B. separandus , and in having the red hair of the metasoma similar in hue to B. separandus . In addition, if Reinig were referring to Skorikov’s (1923) Lapidariobombus alagesianus , then this specimen was labelled as B. lapidarius subsp. alagesianus by Skorikov and carries the label “Cotype”.

The neotype comes from the original type locality ( ICZN 1999: Article 75.3.6) because B. alagesianus is eponymous for the locality given on its label: “Alagez, Trans-/ kaukasien” and given by Reinig (1930) in the original description as “Transkaukasien”.

The neotype is the property of and housed in the collection of ( ICZN 1999: Article 75.3.7) the National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, Netherlands ( RMNH: ZMA.INS.956675).

Material sequenced (15 specimens)

IRAN • 1 ♀ (worker); Kasra ; 38.3444° N, 47.6711° E; 6 Aug. 2009; P. Haidari leg.; NHMUK seq: IRANPW019; PW: ML24 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (worker); same collection data as for preceding; A. Monfared leg.; NHMUK seq: IRANPW017; PW: ML25 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (worker); same collection data as for preceding; NHMUK seq: IRANPW018; PW: ML26 GoogleMaps .

ARMENIA • 1 ♀ (worker); Mt Aragat ; 40.4775° N, 44.1832° E; 25 Jul. 2008; S. Droege leg.; BOLD seq: 6876H11; PW: ML27 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (worker); same collection data as for preceding; BOLD seq: 6876H10; PW: ML28 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (queen); same collection data as for preceding; NHMUK seq: PW22 ; PW: ML190 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (worker); same collection data as for preceding; BOLD seq: 1555H06; PW: ML308 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (worker); same collection data as for preceding; BOLD seq: 1555H07; PW: ML309 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (worker); same collection data as for preceding; BOLD seq: 1555H08; PW: ML310 GoogleMaps .

TURKEY • 1 ♀ (worker); Artvin, Çam Geçidi ; 41.2143° N, 42.3000° E; 12 Aug. 2011; BOLD seq: 6879A02; PW: ML200 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (worker); Artvin, Çam Geçidi ; 41.2052° N, 42.5012° E; 12 Aug. 2011; BOLD seq: 6879A03; PW: ML201 GoogleMaps .

GEORGIA • 1 ♀ (queen); Lagodekhi ; 41.9° N, 46.3333° E; 22 Jun. 2015; G. Japoshvili leg.; BOLD seq: 1555A03; GJ: ML176 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (queen); Javakheti , Bugdasheni lake; 41.1989° N, 43.6902° E; 14 May 2013; R. DeJonghe leg.; BOLD seq: 6880C01; RDJ: ML498 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ (worker); same collection data as for preceding; R. DeJonghe leg.; reared from BOLD seq: 6880C01; BOLD seq: 6880C02; RDJ: ML499 GoogleMaps • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; R. DeJonghe leg.; reared from BOLD seq: 6880C01; BOLD seq: 6880C03; RDJ: ML500 GoogleMaps .

Global distribution

(West Asian mountain species) West Asia: TURKEY, GEORGIA, ARMENIA, IRAN. (GJ, NHMUK, RDJ, RMNH, PW.) This species is not common ( Fig. 212 View Figs 211–212 ).

Behaviour

Expected to be food-plant generalists but no records. The male mate-searching behaviour is expected to resemble the patrolling behaviour of B. keriensis s. str.