Bumble bee species tend to display similar common color patterns within a geographic region. These heterochromatic complexes can vary significantly across regions. Hypotheses proposed to explain this phenomenon suggest that it is either a product of mimicry complexes, a thermoregulatory adaptation to different climates, or a direct response to environmental conditions during development. In order to fully address the cause for such pattern similiarities, it is first necessary to seperate the effects of phylogeny. In this study I assess whether shared color patterns are independent of phylogenetic relationships and the degree of similarity in geographical areas using various comparative methods. These results additionally provide evidence for the evolution of color patterns and the reliability of color characters when using morphology to diagnose species or construct phylogenies.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Apidae Bombus (bumble bee)
Keywords: mimicry
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