Shift in temporal and spatial expression of Hox gene explains color mimicry in bees

Few insects exhibit the striking color pattern radiation found in bumble bees ( Bombus ) (1, 2) and some wasps (3, 4). Bumble bees have diversified globally into an unusually wide range of color patterns, many of which converge into high-fidelity Mullerian mimetic complexes across a wide geographic range. Despite extensive documentation of color pattern diversification (1, 2, 5), including a quantitative analysis defining the 12 principal color...