The past, present, and future of bee taxonomy in mainland China

doi:10.11865/zs.2025201

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Zoological Systematics ›› 2025, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (2) : 101-124. DOI: 10.11865/zs.2025201

综述

The past, present, and future of bee taxonomy in mainland China

Michael C. Orr^{1, 2}, John S. Ascher³, Arong Luo^{1, 4}, Zeqing Niu¹, Xiaoyu Shi¹, Paul H. Williams⁵, Feng Yuan¹, Qingsong Zhou¹, Yanru Wu¹, Chaodong Zhu^{1, 4}

作者信息 +

The past, present, and future of bee taxonomy in mainland China

Michael C. Orr^{1, 2}, John S. Ascher³, Arong Luo^{1, 4}, Zeqing Niu¹, Xiaoyu Shi¹, Paul H. Williams⁵, Feng Yuan¹, Qingsong Zhou¹, Yanru Wu¹, Chaodong Zhu^{1, 4}

Author information +

文章历史 +

摘要

China has the sixth-largest bee fauna with over 1,300 documented species. Yet countless more are expected, making taxonomic work an imperative. Here, we outline the history of bee taxonomy in China and discuss how best we can move into the future and describe all of the many undescribed species remaining. Key challenges include the difficulty of accurately assigning species names due to overseas type material as well as a general need for increased internationalization such as in specimen and data sharing. Only with sustained funding for basic taxonomy will it be possible to know and protect China’s unique bee fauna.

Abstract

导出引用

Michael C. Orr, John S. Ascher, Arong Luo, Zeqing Niu, Xiaoyu Shi, Paul H. Williams, Feng Yuan, Qingsong Zhou, Yanru Wu, Chaodong Zhu. The past, present, and future of bee taxonomy in mainland China. Zoological Systematics. 2025, 50(2): 101-124 https://doi.org/10.11865/zs.2025201

Michael C. Orr, John S. Ascher, Arong Luo, Zeqing Niu, Xiaoyu Shi, Paul H. Williams, Feng Yuan, Qingsong Zhou, Yanru Wu, Chaodong Zhu. The past, present, and future of bee taxonomy in mainland China. Zoological Systematics. 2025, 50(2): 101-124 https://doi.org/10.11865/zs.2025201

基金

MCO, ARL, ZQN, and CDZ were supported by The National Natural Science Foundation Key Fund (32330013) and The National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (31625024). MCO was supported by the NSFC International Young Scholars Program (31850410464) and the CAS President's International Fellowship Initiative (2018PB0003, 2020PB0142, 2024PVC0046). ARL was also funded by the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars (32122016) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32470473). CDZ’s Lab has been funded continuously by grants from the Key Laboratory of the Zoological Systematics and Evolution of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2008DP173354), State Key Laboratory of Animal Biodiversity Conservation and Integrated Pest Management (SKLA2501) and Sino BON Insect Diversity Monitoring Network (Sino BON- Insects).