Bees (Apoidea; Anthophila) are widely acknowledged as the most important terrestrial pollinators. Their conservation depends on our knowledge of all facets of their life history and distribution. Asia holds 15% of total bee diversity, with many unique lineages, but these many species comprise only 1% of public global bee specimen data, in part because identification of the fauna is extremely difficult and requires referencing type specimens often stored on the other side of the world. Many groups also require taxonomic revision due to cryptic species complexes. A primary solution for this taxonomic impediment is to integrate molecular resources with morphology to build foundational knowledge on Asian bee diversity. Here, we present preliminary results on the assembly of a DNA library based on more than 1000+ DNA barcode sequences (COI) from verified bee specimens collected across Asia, mainly from China, India, Singapore, and Thailand. Topics inferred from the generic-level phylogenies of various bee groups are discussed: taxonomic status, species identification and diagnostic characters, cryptic species, and gender matching. This standardized method will provide a reliable backbone data for future research and bee conservation programs in Asia.
Building a barcode reference library and occurrence database for Asian bees