"Bombus incognitus" is a name proposed for a species of bumblebee mostly found in North America. It was first found in the Rocky Mountains by researchers from Uppsala University.[1] Prior to its discovery, it was confused with Bombus sylvicola due to their external similarities.[1] It was discovered the bees represented a separate species by comparison of gene sequences.[1] The name "incognitus" was proposed for the animals because of their confusion with sylvicola.[1] However, the name was not validly published under the rules of the ICZN (no formal description, no type specimen[1]), and is therefore not an available species name, and as of 2022, this species still does not have a name or formal description.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Webster, Matthew T (August 2021). "Genetic barriers to historical gene flow between cryptic species of alpine bumblebees revealed by comparative population genomics". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38 (8): 3126–3143. doi:10.1093/molbev/msab086. PMC 8321533. PMID 33823537 – via Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution.