Project Molecular differentiation and ecology of the cryptic bumblebee species of the Bombus lucorum complex in the Alps

In Austria, 47 of around 250 bumblebee species are found worldwide, making our country one of the hot spots of bumblebee biodiversity. According to recent studies using DNA barcoding, the differentiation of the sometimes very common species of the Bombus lucorum complex (Bombus lucorum, B. cryptarum and B. magnus) with common morphological characteristics is not possible. However, the mtDNA analyses yield flawlessly three taxa called molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). By demonstrating the unreliability of species determination with phenotypic characteristics, the results of all previous ecological studies on this species group have also become obsolete.