Orr Michael C, Koch Jonathan B, Griswold Terry L, Pitts James P
Biology Department, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84321, USA.; Email:
Biology Department, Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84321, USA.; Email:
Zootaxa. 2014 Aug 4;3846(3):411-29. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3846.3.5.
Taxonomy has far-reaching effects throughout biology, and incorrect taxonomy can be detrimental in many ways. Polymorphic species complexes, many of which exist in the bee genus Anthophora Latreille, lend themselves to such difficulties. This study employs environmental niche mapping (ENM) and traditional morphological analyses to investigate the validity of the subjective synonymy of Anthophora (Heliophila) curta Provancher with the senior synonym A. squammulosa Dours. Eleven of fifty morphological characters consistently differentiate the two putative species, with an additional five characters sometimes separating them. Additionally, based on over 1000 georeferenced museum specimens, the geographic ranges of the two taxa do not overlap. The two entities also react differently to the bioclimatic variables based on correlation analysis. We further tested the two-species hypothesis by constructing ENMs with informative bioclimatic variables associated with locality records. Their modelled distributions overlapped less than 1%, suggesting discrete environmental boundaries. The variables which contributed most to each species' model also differed. These differences are explored in relation to their habitats. The combined morphological and biogeographic analysis indicates that A. curta and A. squammulosa are distinct species. Based on the accumulated evidence the synonymy is formally rejected and A. curta is recognized as a valid species. Five additional taxa (A. bispinosa Cockerell, A. franciscana Cockerell, A. usticauda Cockerell, A. u. cinerior Cockerell, A. zamoranella Cockerell) are newly synonymized with A. squammulosa and Anthophora curta var. melanops Cockerell is newly synonymized with A. curta. Implications outside of taxonomy are discussed.
分类学在整个生物学领域有着深远影响，不正确的分类学可能在许多方面产生不利影响。多态物种复合体，其中许多存在于Anthophora Latreille蜜蜂属中，容易引发此类难题。本研究采用环境生态位映射（ENM）和传统形态学分析方法，来探究Anthophora (Heliophila) curta Provancher与高级同物异名A. squammulosa Dours主观同物异名的有效性。五十个形态特征中有十一个能持续区分这两个假定的物种，另有五个特征有时也能将它们区分开来。此外，基于1000多个地理参考博物馆标本，这两个分类单元的地理分布范围并不重叠。根据相关性分析，这两个实体对生物气候变量的反应也不同。我们通过构建与产地记录相关的信息丰富的生物气候变量的ENM，进一步检验了双物种假说。它们模拟的分布重叠不到1%，表明存在离散的环境边界。对每个物种模型贡献最大的变量也不同。结合它们的栖息地对这些差异进行了探讨。形态学和生物地理学的综合分析表明，A. curta和A. squammulosa是不同的物种。基于积累的证据，正式拒绝了同物异名关系，并将A. curta认定为一个有效物种。另外五个分类单元（A. bispinosa Cockerell、A. franciscana Cockerell、A. usticauda Cockerell、A. u. cinerior Cockerell、A. zamoranella Cockerell）被新认定为与A. squammulosa同物异名，Anthophora curta var. melanops Cockerell被新认定为与A. curta同物异名。还讨论了分类学之外的影响。
