Bombus magnus

Bombus magnus is a species of bumblebee. It is native to Europe.[1] It is known by the common name northern white-tailed bumblebee.[2]

Bombus magnus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Bombus
Subgenus:	Bombus
Species:	B. magnus
Binomial name
Bombus magnus Vogt, 1911
Synonyms
Bombus flavoscutellaris Bombus luteostriatus

Systematics

This species is very similar to the white-tailed bumblebee (B. lucorum), the buff-tailed bumblebee (B. terrestris), and the cryptic bumblebee (B. cryptarum). They are difficult to identify, even by experts, and several methods have been used to differentiate them. Computer software has been used to identify patterns.[3]

A diagnostic feature of species is the sensillum placodeum on the antennae.[4] With respect to the sensillum, if there is a different morphology, then it is likely that these two or more species are different from one another based on phylogenetic speciation. Another problem is discerning a difference between species. “Cryptic species are those that satisfy an accepted concept of species, but which are closely similar or identical in morphology.”[5] Many times, a specimen will be classified a member of a species based on its similarities to another member of that species. In the case of B. magnus, several taxonomists have argued that it is part of a long-ignored species, or really part of another species and was misidentified. Several species in the subgenus Bombus may actually be species complexes.[5] B. magnus, B. lucorum, and B. cryptarum are referred to as the "white-tailed bumblebee complex".[6]

Another method of species identification is to compare the labial gland secretions of the males. The secretions of B. magnus and the sympatric B. cryptarum both contain ethyl dodecanoate, suggesting they may be closely related.[7]

Certain restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) in the mitochondrial DNA of B. magnus and its close relatives have been analyzed, revealing unique patterns that differentiate them from each other.[8]

Habitat

This species occurs in many types of habitat, especially upland heath and moorland.[1]

Conservation

This species is expected to be impacted by climate change.[1]

See also

• List of bees of Great Britain

References

1. Rasmont, P., et al. 2015. Bombus magnus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 08 March 2016.
2. Bombus (Bombus) magnus Vogt, 1911. National Biodiversity Network.
3. Arbuckle, T., et al. (2001). Biodiversity informatics in action: identification and monitoring of bee species using ABIS. In: Proc. 15th Int. Symp. Informatics for Environmental Protection (Vol. 1, pp. 425-430).
4. Richerson, J.V., Borden, J.H., Hollingdale, J. (1972). Morphology of a unique sensillum placodeum on the antennae of Coiliodes brunneri (Hymenoptera:Braconidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 50(7):909-913.
5. Williams, P. H., et al. (2012). Unveiling cryptic species of the bumblebee subgenus Bombus s. str. worldwide with COI barcodes (Hymenoptera: Apidae). 'Systematics and Biodiversity 10(1) 21-56.
6. Bumblebee Maths. Archived 2016-03-08 at the Wayback Machine The Bumblebee Conservation Trust. 22 November 2013.
7. Bertsch, A., & Schweer, H. (2012). Male labial gland secretions as species recognition signals in species of Bombus. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 40, 103-111.
8. Murray, T. E., et al. (2008). Cryptic species in a widespread bumble bee complex revealed using mitochondrial DNA RFLPs. Archived April 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Conservation Genetics 9 653-666.

Further reading

• Are Bombus lucorum and magnus separate species? BWARS Newsletter 2000(1): 15-17. Reprinted by The Natural History Museum, London.