Bombus melanopygus
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Bombus melanopygus, the black-tailed bumble bee,[1] black tail bumble bee[2] or orange-rumped bumblebee,[3] is a species of bumblebee native to western North America.
This bee is widely distributed across western North America, from the Pacific to the Rocky Mountains, and from Alaska to Baja California.[4][5]
There are two forms of the black-tailed bumblebee:[4]
- Red form (“red butts,” Bombus melanopygus melanopygus) found primarily in higher latitudes of Oregon and points north, and in the Mountain West
- Dark color form (Bombus melanopygus edwardsii) is most common in California and southern Oregon
(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.[6])
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".[7] It feeds on many types of plants, including manzanitas, Ceanothus, goldenbushes, wild buckwheats, lupines, penstemons, rhododendrons, willows, sages, and clovers. It nests underground or aboveground in structures.[2]
This species is a host to the zombie fly (Apocephalus borealis).[8]
References
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- ↑ Bombus melanopygus. Template:Webarchive Natural History of Orange County, California. School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine.
- ↑ a b Hatfield, R., et al. 2014. Bombus melanopygus. Template:Webarchive The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 04 March 2016.
- ↑ Bumblebees: photo gallery. Template:Webarchive E-Fauna BC. Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 4 March 2016.
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ 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.
- ↑ NatureServe. 2015. Bombus melanopygus. Template:Webarchive NatureServe Explorer 7.1 Accessed 4 March 2016.
- ↑ Apocephalus borealis. Template:Webarchive Featured Creatures. University of Florida IFAS. Publication Number EENY-605. October 2014.
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