Bombus melanopygus

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]

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

Bombus edwardsii

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. 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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