Genomic Sequences of B.niveatus and a gynandromorph specimen for understanding white and yellow mimicry patterns in the Anatolian region
Bumble bees exhibit remarkable color pattern diversity and repeated convergence resulting from Mullerian mimicry. In Anatolia, multiple lineages independently convert an ancestral yellow anterior setal color to white, producing local mimetic complex. This BioProject characterizes the genetic basis of that white-yellow mimetic dimorphism in the snowy bumble bee Bombus niveatus, which occurs as two color forms (B. n. niveatus, white vs B. n. vorticosus, yellow). Using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of male samples collected across dimorphic populations, we identify a strong association peak in the cis-regulatory region of the homeobox gene BarH2. Fine-scale sequencing and structural analysis reveal a derived tandem duplication, unique to the white form, that likely increases local transcription-factor binding site density and thus regulatory potential. Comparative Sanger sequencing of the same locus in comimicking species shows that parallel white-yellow transitions in co-mimics are produced by different molecular changes, indicating repeated phenotypic convergence via independent genetic routes. In addition, we present the genetic characterization of a largely bilateral mosaic gynandromorph of B. niveatus whose mixed color pattern is explained by a mosaic of at least two distinct haploid sources and diploid tissue heterozygous at the color locus; this supports the Mendelian inheritance of the color polymorphism and the conspecific status of these two forms. This work highlights how small tandem duplications in cis-regulatory intervals can reshape local regulatory architecture to generate discrete, heritable morphological variation, and provides a comparative dataset for understanding the genetic mechanisms of convergent evolution in natural populations.This study contains 18 genomic samples for both color forms of B.niveatus and 4 tissue specific sequences for a gynandromorph sample.