Bombus centralis

Bombus centralis, the central bumblebee, is a species of bumble bee found in parts of Canada and the western United States.[2][3]

Bombus centralis
Queen

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Bombus
Subgenus: Pyrobombus
Species:
B. centralis
Binomial name
Bombus centralis

Description

Bombus centralis is a small bumblebee with a long face and proboscis[2] and light brown wings. The queen has a body length between 12.5 and 16 mm (0.49 and 0.63 in) and a wing span of 29 to 33 mm (1.1 to 1.3 in); the males have a length of 10 to 13 mm (0.39 to 0.51 in) and a wing span of 22 to 29 mm (0.87 to 1.14 in), while the workers are 9.5 to 12.5 mm (0.37 to 0.49 in) in length with a wing span of 23 to 28 mm (0.91 to 1.10 in).[4] The colouration of the thorax and anterior part of the abdomen is yellow, while terga (abdominal segments) 3 and 4 (for the females) and 3 to 5 (males) are orange-red. The tail is black; overall the hair is long. Across the thorax is a black, medially located band.[2]

Distribution

The species is distributed from British Columbia and Alberta in Canada to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States.[3]

Ecology

The bumblebee lives in prairies or river valleys. The hibernating queens appear in late May and start building a nest, often in disused rodent nests. About a month later, the first workers emerge. The nest declines in September, and all the bees, except the new queens, die.[4] The bees forage on various plant taxa, such as wild onions, rabbitbrush, thistles, goldenbushes, coyote mints, penstemons, and phacelias.[1]

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References
  1. Hatfield, R., et al. 2014. Bombus centralis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 04 March 2016.
  2. Jonathan Koch, James Strange & Paul Williams (2012). "Bumble Bees of the Western United States" (PDF, 7.56 MB). The Xerces Society. pp. 34–37. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  3. "North American bumblebees". Bumblebee.org. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  4. "Bombus centralis". Strickland Entomological Museum, University of Alberta. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
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