Bombus melanopygus

Bombus melanopygus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Clade:Euarthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Hymenoptera
Family:Apidae
Genus:Bombus
Species: B. melanopygus
Binomial name
Bombus melanopygus
Nylander, 1848
Synonyms

Bombus edwardsii

Bombus melanopygus, the black-tailed bumble bee,[2] black tail bumble bee[1] or orange-rumped bumblebee,[3] is a species of bumblebee. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, and as far east as Idaho.[1][4]

Biology

This bumblebee can utilize a number of habitat types, including agricultural and urban areas. It is "one of the few bumblebees still found regularly in San Francisco".[5] It feeds on many types of plants, including manzanitas, wild lilacs, goldenbushes, wild buckwheats, lupines, penstemons, rhododendrons, willows, sages, and clovers. It nests underground or aboveground in structures.[1]

This species is a host to the zombie fly (Apocephalus borealis).[6]

Systematics

The second and third abdominal segments are red in northern populations and black in southern; individuals with black segments were previously known as Bombus edwardsii, a separate species. Genetic analyses support the conclusion that the two forms are the same species, with B. edwardsii as a synonym.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hatfield, R., et al. 2014. Bombus melanopygus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 04 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Bombus melanopygus. Natural History of Orange County, California. School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine.
  3. ↑ Bumblebees: photo gallery. E-Fauna BC. Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 4 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Kweskin, M. P. (1997-03-31). "The Bumblebees of Evergreen: Bombus melanopygus". The Evergreen State College.
  5. ↑ NatureServe. 2015. Bombus melanopygus. NatureServe Explorer 7.1 Accessed 4 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Apocephalus borealis. Featured Creatures. University of Florida IFAS. Publication Number EENY-605. October 2014.
  7. ↑ Owen, R. E., Whidden, T. L., & Plowright, R. C. (2010). Genetic and morphometric evidence for the conspecific status of the bumble bees, Bombus melanopygus and Bombus edwardsii. Journal of Insect Science, 10(1), 109.


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