Bombus pullatus

Bombus pullatus is a species of bumblebee native to Mexico and Central America.[1]

Bombus pullatus
Preserved Bombus pullatus from the Smithsonian Institution

Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Bombus
Subgenus: Fervidobombus
Species:
B. pullatus
Binomial name
Bombus pullatus
Franklin, 1913

This species occurs in lowlands and in mountains. It builds its nests underground, on the surface, or in plants. It has been observed constructing nests in the leaves of a banana tree, in piles of vegetation on the ground, and amongst the roots of a coffee plant.[1] The colony can occupy one nest for a long time, maintaining and renovating it as necessary. One old nest was observed to contain both the bee colony and a colony of the leafcutter ant Acromyrmex octospinosus, which was occupying cells along the edge that had been abandoned by the bee.[2] This bee can be rare in parts of its range with wet tropical climates because it is difficult to find a suitable dry nesting site and maintain it in such moist conditions.[3]

This bee forages on many kinds of plants, including Miconia sp., Monochaetum sp., Solanum sp. Mimosa sp., and Spermacoce sp.[4]

References
  1. Vandame, R. V., Martínez López, O. G. & Pineda Diez de Bonilla, E. P. 2015. Bombus pullatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 March 2016.
  2. Chavarria, G. (1996). Notes on a combined nest of Bombus pullatus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Acromyrmex octospinosus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 403-405.
  3. Janzen, D. H. (1971). The ecological significance of an arboreal nest of Bombus pullatus in Costa Rica. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 44 210-216.
  4. Hines, H. M., Cameron, S. A., & Deans, A. R. (2007). Nest architecture and foraging behavior in Bombus pullatus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with comparisons to other tropical bumble bees. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 80(1), 1-15.


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