3. Bombus (Alpigenobombus) kashmirensis Friese, 1909

Figs 2–3, 35‒48, 108

Bombus mastrucatus var. [subsp.] kashmirensis Friese, 1909 [September: Tkalců 1974]: 673. Note 1.

Bombus mastrucatus var. [subsp.] stramineus Friese, 1909 [September: Tkalců 1974]: 673.

Bombus tetrachromus Cockerell, 1909 [November: Tkalců 1974]: 397.

Alpigenobombus pulcherrimus Skorikov, 1914: 128 .

Bombus (Mastrucatobombus) mastrucatus subsp. meinertzhageni Richards, 1928: 335 .

Bombus mastrucatus var. [subsp.] kashmirensis ‒ redescribed by Friese & von Wagner 1910: 47.

Bombus mastrucatus var. [subsp.] stramineus ‒ redescribed by Friese & von Wagner 1910: 47.

Alpigenobombus pulcherrimus var. [not subsp.] albidocaudatus ‒ Skorikov 1914: 129, infrasubspecific.

NOTE 1. Acceptance of B. kashmirensis as the valid name in preference to B. stramineus follows Skorikov (1923) as the First Reviser (ICZN 1999: Article 24).

Species-taxon concept and variation

The taxon concept of the species B. kashmirensis here agrees with the recent interpretation (Williams 2022a) that it is separate from the taxon concept of the species B. rainai (see the comments below on B. rainai), based on: (1) our PTP analysis supports independent species-level coalescents in the COI gene (Fig. 12); corroborated by (2) diagnostic morphological character states (see the keys).

The PTP and morphological results (Fig. 12, keys) support the interpretation that the divergent colour patterns of the taxa kashmirensis s. str., stramineus, and meinertzhageni are parts of a single species (Williams 1991). The other named taxa ( tetrachromus, pulcherrimus) appear to be re-descriptions of this species.

Variation in the colour-pattern diagrams of B. kashmirensis in Figs 35‒48 is arranged approximately from the Hengduan and outer Himalayan ranges (e.g., Pir Panjal: Figs 35‒37, 42‒44) to the trans-Himalaya (e.g., Zanskar: Figs 39‒41, 46‒48). Bombus kashmirensis, with the white-banded colour pattern in the south (Himalaya) and east (Hengduan) more mesic parts of its range, appears to mimic the abundant B. (Melanobombus) rufofasciatus Smith, 1852, and B. (Ml.) prshewalskyi Morawitz, 1880 (Williams 2007: fig. 5g), whereas the yellow-banded colour pattern in the north-west (trans-Himalayan mountains) more arid parts of its range appears to mimic the abundant B. (Ml.) keriensis Morawitz, 1887, and similar species (Williams 2007: fig. 5j).

Type material

Bombus mastrucatus var. [subsp.] kashmirensis Friese, 1909 [September: Tkalců 1974]: 673. Lectotype by designation of Tkalců 1974: ♀ (queen) Kashmir, India (ZMHB). Examined .

Morphological diagnosis

Female

Wings nearly clear with veins dark brown, hair medium to long, oculo-malar area shorter than broad, clypeus adjacent to the labrum slightly raised in the centre so that the transverse anterior groove is interrupted, this central area with few small punctures and more shining than the surrounding areas, oculo-ocellar area in almost its outer half with large and medium punctures (cf. B. rainai); hair of the side of the thorax in at least its upper half and the scutellum either white or yellow, hair of T5 orange with white tips.

Male

Wings nearly clear with veins dark brown, hair medium to long, oculo-malar area shorter than broad; genitalia (Fig. 108) with the gonostylus long and distally near its midline axis convexly rounded, length on its outer side about a quarter as long as on its inner side with the two inner corners of the distal lobe rounded, the margin between them nearly straight, penis-valve head strongly recurved, the recurved hook much longer than broad, but broad and narrowing only just before the apex (cf. B. rainai); male eye distinctly enlarged relative to female eye; hair of the side of the thorax either yellow or white with the pale hair reaching to the midleg bases, hair of T3 usually predominantly black, hair at the side of T5‒6 orange at the base but white-tipped.

Material sequenced in Fig. 12

CHINA • 1 ♀ (worker); Sichuan, Queer Mountain; 31.8969° N, 99.1485° E; 5 Aug. 2018; Z. Ren et al. leg.; KIB seq: QESM302006; KIB: AG#083 • 1 ♀ (worker); Xizang, Ailashan; 31.6142° N, 98.4803° E; 4 Aug. 2018; Z. Ren et al. leg.; KIB seq: ALSM104001; KIB: AG#085 • 1 ♀ (worker); Qinghai, Kunlun Pass road; 35.6917° N, 94.0533° E; 19 Aug. 2013; PW seq: PWK1; IAR: AG#084 .

PAKISTAN • 1 ♁; Baltistan [Olthingthang]; 34.7093° N, 76.1208° E; 16 Sep. 2016; S. Jaffar leg.; BOLD seq: 1555G02; PW: AG#082 .

Additional sequences in Fig. 10 and haplotype duplicates

CHINA • 1 ♀ (worker); Xizang, Yelanshan; 30.1489° N, 97.3091° E; 22 Jul. 2018; Z. Ren et al. leg.; KIB seq: YLSH308001; KIB: AG#130 .

Global distribution

Himalaya and Hengduan: Pakistan, India (Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim), Nepal, China (Xizang, Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu): IAR, IOZ, KIB, NHMUK, PW, RMNH, SC, ZMHB.

This species is recorded at elevations of 2400‒4800 m in the Himalaya and trans-Himalaya, and of 2272‒4700 m in the Hengduan mountains (Williams 1991; Williams et al. 2009, 2010; An et al. 2014). In Kashmir, Sichuan, and Gansu, B. kashmirensis occurs primarily above the tree line and high into the alpine zone (queens have been seen to forage from flowers at 4000 m in Kashmir even when it was snowing heavily, PW pers. obs.) and even in the semi-arid trans-Himalaya (Williams 1991; Williams et al. 2009).

Behaviour

Male eye slightly enlarged relative to female eye: males show ‘cruising’ behaviour when searching for mates in Kashmir (Williams 1991).