Bombus nevadensis

Nevada bumblebee
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Bombus
Subgenus: Bombias
Species: B. nevadensis
Binomial name
Bombus nevadensis
(Cresson, 1874)

The Nevada bumblebee (Bombus nevadensis) is a species of bumblebee found in North America.

Description

A bumblebee with a long proboscis (tongue) and a short, dense fur, the females (queens and workers) have an entirely black head, while the face and top of the head of the male are yellow.[1] The thorax is yellow, sometimes with a hairless, black spot in the middle. The three first terga (abdominal segments) are yellow, while the rest of the abdomen is black.[2] However, the tip of the tail is more or less red in the male.[2] The average body length is 20 mm (0.79 in) for the queen, 17 mm (0.67 in) (worker) and 14 mm (0.55 in) (male).[1]

The very rare, considerably darker rusty-patched bumblebee (Bombus auricomus) is sometimes considered a subspecies of this species, B. nevadensis auricomus.[2]

Distribution

The species is found from Alaska to California in the west, and east to Wisconsin, and in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico.[2]

Ecology

The Nevada bumblebee is important as a pollinator of red clover.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Anthony P. Solli (1999-10-20). "Bees: An Interdisciplinary Approach". Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "North American bumblebees". Bumblebee.org. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
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