title: DNA barcoding largely supports 250 years of classical taxonomy: identifications for Central European bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea partim).
abstract: This study presents DNA barcode records for 4118 specimens representing 561 species of bees belonging to the six families of Apoidea (Andrenidae, Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae and Melittidae) found in Central Europe. These records provide fully compliant barcode sequences for 503 of the 571 bee species in the German fauna and partial sequences for 43 more. The barcode results are largely congruent with traditional taxonomy as only five closely allied pairs of species could not be discriminated by barcodes. As well, 90% of the species possessed sufficiently deep sequence divergence to be assigned to a different Barcode Index Number (BIN). In fact, 56 species (11%) were assigned to two or more BINs reflecting the high levels of intraspecific divergence among their component specimens. Fifty other species (9.7%) shared the same Barcode Index Number with one or more species, but most of these species belonged to a distinct barcode cluster within a particular BIN. The barcode data contributed to clarifying the status of nearly half the examined taxonomically problematic species of bees in the German fauna. Based on these results, the role of DNA barcoding as a tool for current and future taxonomic work is discussed.
authors.affiliation: SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung, Muenchhausenstr. 21, 81247, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Schmid-Egger & Partner, Agentur für Kommunikation, Fischerstr. 1, 10317, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schmid-Egger
authors.affiliation: SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung, Muenchhausenstr. 21, 81247, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morinière
authors.affiliation: SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung, Muenchhausenstr. 21, 81247, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haszprunar
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul D N
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Hebert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D002965:Classification / Q000379:methods*; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic / Q000379:methods*; D005858:Germany; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
keywords: DNA barcoding; bees; insects; morphology; pollinators; taxonomy