To bee or not to bee? Unique bumblebee in Arctic is identified as new species
By The Siberian Times reporter
03 October 2017
Endemic to the remote island of Novaya Zemlya, it survived the Ice Age here, scientists believe, the only creature known to have done so.
Glacier bumblebee lived through the Ice Age on this barren Arctic island. Picture: Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research
It was first recorded in 1902 but conclusive DNA evidence has now established that honey-making Bombus glacialis - or glacier bumblebee - is a separate species.
The findings - to be the subject of a major scientific paper - end a long running academic debate on this remarkable bee's status.
http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/to-bee-or-not-to-bee-unique-bumblebee-in-arctic-is-identified-as-new-species/
