| Bombus wurflenii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Bombus |
| Subgenus: | Alpigenobombus |
| Species: | B. wurflenii |
| Binomial name | |
| Bombus wurflenii Radoszkowski, 1860 [1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Bombus wurflenii is a species of bumblebee found in several parts of central and northern Europe to Turkey and the Crimea peninsula in the southeast. [3] [4]
This bumblebee has a very short proboscis (tongue), powerful, toothed mandibles, and a short head. The queen has a body length of 19 to 22 mm (0.75 to 0.87 in), a wing span of 36 to 41 mm (1.4 to 1.6 in) and a black, shaggy fur with the three last terga (abdominal segments). The workers, which have body lengths ranging from 13 to 16 mm (0.51 to 0.63 in) and wing spans from 25 to 32 mm (0.98 to 1.26 in), look like the queen, except for the lesser length. The males are 14 to 16 mm (0.55 to 0.63 in) in length, have a wing span from 28 to 32 mm (1.1 to 1.3 in) and are otherwise similar to the females. [4] [5] A lighter form, with most of thorax and the two anterior terga covered in pale fur exists. [4]
The species is mainly found in mountainous areas. [3] In the Balkans, it is found from 1,300 to 2,100 m (4,300 to 6,900 ft) above sea level, [6] and in Turkey between 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) and 2,600 metres (8,500 ft). [4] The nest is small, containing 80 to 150 individuals. [5]
The bumblebee predominantly forages on flowers such as Vaccinium , Lamiaceae, Scrophulariaceae and Fabaceae. [4] According to Goulson, this species is an opportunistic nectar robber. The bees cut a hole into the back of the flower to access nectar, and so they do not participate in pollination. [7]
In Europe, it can be found in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, [8] Scandinavia, the Ural and Caucasus in Russia, [3] northern Turkey, and the Crimean Peninsula. [4] It is absent from the British Isles, and its presence in Finland is disputed. [3]
A bumblebee is any of over 250 species in the genus Bombus, part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera are known from fossils. They are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America, where a few lowland tropical species have been identified. European bumblebees have also been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania. Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals.
The early bumblebee or early-nesting bumblebee is a small bumblebee with a wide distribution in most of Europe and parts of Asia. It is very commonly found in the UK and emerges to begin its colony cycle as soon as February which is earlier than most other species, hence its common name. There is even some evidence that the early bumblebee may be able to go through two colony cycles in a year. Like other bumblebees, Bombus pratorum lives in colonies with queen and worker castes. Bombus pratorum queens use aggressive behavior rather than pheromones to maintain dominance over the workers.
Bombus barbutellus, or Barbut's cuckoo-bee, is a species of cuckoo bumblebee, widespread, if not especially common, in most of Europe.
Bombus campestris is a very common cuckoo bumblebee found in most of Europe.
Bombus sylvestris, known as the forest cuckoo bumblebee or four-coloured cuckoo bee, is a species of cuckoo bumblebee, found in most of Europe and Russia. Its main hosts are Bombus pratorum, Bombus jonellus, and Bombus monticola. As a cuckoo bumblebee, Bombus sylvestris lays its eggs in another bumblebee's nest. This type of bee leaves their young to the workers of another nest for rearing, allowing cuckoo bumblebees to invest minimal energy and resources in their young while still keeping the survival of their young intact.
Bombus bohemicus, also known as the gypsy's cuckoo bumblebee, is a species of socially parasitic cuckoo bumblebee found in most of Europe with the exception of the southern Iberian Peninsula and Iceland. B. bohemicus practices inquilinism, or brood parasitism, of other bumblebee species. B. bohemicus is a generalist parasite, successfully invading several species from genus Bombus. The invading queen mimics the host nest's chemical signals, allowing her to assume a reproductively dominant role as well as manipulation of host worker fertility and behavior.
The broken-belted bumblebee or Ilfracombe bumblebee is a species of bumblebee present in most of Europe and parts of Asia.
Bombus monticola, the bilberry bumblebee, blaeberry bumblebee or mountain bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee found in Europe.
The heath humble-bee or small heath bumblebee, Bombus jonellus, is a species of bumblebee, widely distributed in Europe and northern Asia, as well as northern North America.
Bombus consobrinus is a species of bumblebee found in Hungary, northern Scandinavia, Kazakhstan, Russia, China, North and South Korea, and Japan.
Bombus hortorum, the garden bumblebee or small garden bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee found in most of Europe north to 70°N, as well as parts of Asia and New Zealand. It is distinguished from most other bumblebees by its long tongue used for feeding on pollen in deep-flowered plants. Accordingly, this bumblebee mainly visits flowers with deep corollae, such as deadnettles, ground ivy, vetches, clovers, comfrey, foxglove, and thistles. They have a good visual memory, which aids them in navigating the territory close to their habitat and seeking out food sources.
Bombus pascuorum, the common carder bee, is a species of bumblebee present in most of Europe in a wide variety of habitats such as meadows, pastures, waste ground, ditches and embankments, roads, and field margins, as well as gardens and parks in urban areas and forests and forest edges. It is similar in appearance to Bombus muscorum, and is replacing the species in Northern Britain.
Bombus lucorum, the white-tailed bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee, widespread and common throughout Europe. This name has been widely used for a range of nearly identical-looking or cryptic species of bumblebees. In 1983, Scholl and Obrecht even coined the term Bombus lucorum complex to explain the three taxa that cannot be easily differentiated from one another by their appearances. A recent review of all of these species worldwide has helped to clarify its distribution in Europe and northern Asia, almost to the Pacific. B. lucorum reaches the Barents Sea in the North. However, in southern Europe, although found in Greece it is an upland species with its distribution never quite reaching the Mediterranean.
Bombus ruderarius, commonly known as the red-shanked carder bee or red-shanked bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee found in Eurasia.
Bombus muscorum, commonly known as the large carder bee or moss carder bee, is a species of bumblebee in the family Apidae. The species is found throughout Eurasia in fragmented populations, but is most commonly found in the British Isles. B. muscorum is a eusocial insect. The queen is monandrous, mating with only one male after leaving a mature nest to found its own. Males mate territorially and the species is susceptible to inbreeding and bottlenecks. The species builds its nests on or just under the ground in open grassland and forages very close to the nest. In recent years, populations have significantly declined due to loss of natural habitat. B. muscorum is currently listed as vulnerable in Europe by the European Red List of Bees.
Bombus cullumanus, Cullum's bumblebee or Cullum's humble-bee. is a species of bumblebee found in Europe and Asia.
Bombus erzurumensis is a species of bumblebee found in Turkey and northern Iran.
Bombus argillaceus is a bumblebee species of the subgenus Megabombus, distributed from south and south-eastern Europe to western Asia.
The apple humble-bee or apple bumblebee is a species of bumblebee.
