Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide (Princeton Field Guides, Band 87) - Softcover

Williams, Paul H.; Thorp, Robbin W.; Richardson, Leif L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691152225 ISBN 13: 9780691152226

Verlag: PRINCETON UNIV PR, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

The essential guide for identifying the bumble bees of North America

More than ever before, there is widespread interest in studying bumble bees and the critical role they play in our ecosystems. Bumble Bees of North America is the first comprehensive guide to North American bumble bees to be published in more than a century. Richly illustrated with color photographs, diagrams, range maps, and graphs of seasonal activity patterns, this guide allows amateur and professional naturalists to identify all 46 bumble bee species found north of Mexico and to understand their ecology and changing geographic distributions.

The book draws on the latest molecular research, shows the enormous color variation within species, and guides readers through the many confusing convergences between species. It draws on a large repository of data from museum collections and presents state-of-the-art results on evolutionary relationships, distributions, and ecological roles. Illustrated keys allow identification of color morphs and social castes.

A landmark publication, Bumble Bees of North America sets the standard for guides and the study of these important insects.

• The best guide yet to the 46 recognized bumble bee species in North America north of Mexico
• Up-to-date taxonomy includes previously unpublished results
• Detailed distribution maps
• Extensive keys identify the many color patterns of species

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Paul H. Williams is a research entomologist at the Natural History Museum in London. Robbin W. Thorp (1933–2019) was a distinguished professor emeritus of entomology at the University of California, Davis. Leif L. Richardson is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Dartmouth College. Sheila R. Colla is an NSERC postdoctoral fellow and project leader at Wildlife Preservation Canada.

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"I enjoyed Bumble Bees of North America and learned new things that will be useful in my work. This is a lovely book."--Sam Droege, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

"A better team of scientists couldn't have written this amazing new book on bumble bees. Filled with diverse content, it will be popular with its broad audience. Readers will want to get out and find bumble bees, observe them, and learn what they can do to conserve them."--Stephen L. Buchmann, University of Arizona

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Bumble Bees of North America

An Identification Guide

By Paul H. Williams, Robbin W. Thorp, Leif L. Richardson, Sheila R. Colla

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

Copyright © 2014 Paul H. Williams, Robbin W. Thorp, Leif L. Richardson, and Sheila R. Colla
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-691-15222-6

Contents

Introduction, 7, 
Observing Bumble Bees, 17, 
Attracting Bumble Bees, 20, 
Bumble Bee Forage Guide by Ecoregion, 22, 
Maps and Seasonal Activity, 29, 
Bumble Bee Decline and Conservation, 31, 
Threats to Bumble Bees, 33, 
Natural Enemies, 35, 
Mimicry, 38, 
Distinguishing Bumble Bees from Other Insects, 42, 
Bumble Bee Names and Classification, 45, 
How to Use This Book to Identify Bumble Bee Species, 48, 
Species Accounts, 51, 
SQUARE- OR LONG-CHEEKED BEES WITH A ROUNDED ANGLE ON THE MIDLEG, 
SHORT-CHEEKED BEES WITH A ROUNDED ANGLE ON THE MIDLEG, 
MEDIUM- OR LONG-CHEEKED BEES WITH A SHARP ANGLE ON THE MIDLEG, 
HINDLEG (TIBIA) WITH THE OUTER SURFACE UNIFORMLY CONVEX AND DENSELY HAIRY (CUCKOO BUMBLE BEES, NO WORKERS), 
Identification Keys to Female and Male Bumble Bees, with Photos, 168, 
Glossary, 199, 
Additional Resources, 203, 
Acknowledgments, 204, 
Photo Credits, 206, 
Index, 207, 

CHAPTER 1

SQUARE- OR LONG-CHEEKED BEES WITH A ROUNDED ANGLE ON THE MIDLEG

BOMBUS VOSNESENSKII RADOSZKOWSKI, 1862

VOSNESENSKY BUMBLE BEE

IDENTIFICATION

Western, medium tongue-length species. Most similar to B. caliginosus and B. vandykei (see also B. occidentalis, B. franklini, B. fervidus, B. insularis, and B. flavidus).

HAND CHARACTERS Body size medium (larger than B. caliginosus, B. vandykei): queen 18–21 mm (0.69–0.83 inch), worker 8–17 mm (0.33–0.65 inch). Hair short and even. Head length medium with the cheek (oculo-malar area) as long as broad (contrast B. occidentalis, B. franklini, B. fervidus), midleg basitarsus with the back far corner rounded, hindleg tibia outer surface flat without long hair but with long fringes at the sides, forming a pollen basket (corbicula). Hair of metasomal T3 black (contrast B. vandykei), T4 almost entirely yellow with just a few black hairs near the midline (contrast B. caliginosus, B. vandykei), S2–5 with black fringes at the back (contrast B. caliginosus) or very rarely with yellow at the sides. Male 10–15 mm (0.40–0.58 inch). Eye similar in size and shape to the eye of any female bumble bee. Antenna of medium length, flagellum 3× longer than the scape (contrast B. occidentalis, B. franklini, B. fervidus). Hair color pattern similar to the queen/worker, but metasomal T5 at the sides with yellow, rarely with yellow intermixed broadly on the upperside of the thorax at the back.

MICROSCOPIC CHARACTERS Queen/worker lower central area of the clypeus with many large pits or punctures (contrast B. caliginosus). Male genitalia with the penis-valve head sickle-shaped, the back-curved "sickle" long and very narrow, at least 3× longer than its breadth in the further half and less than half the breadth of the adjacent neck of the penis-valve head, the "sickle" scarcely flattened and about 2× broader than thick, almost spinelike (contrast B. caliginosus, B. vandykei), gonostylus longer than broad (contrast B. caliginosus, B. vandykei), the inner (medial) edge concave.

OCCURRENCE

RANGE AND STATUS Mediterranean CA and Mountain West of CA, OR, WA, southern BC and adjacent Desert West in CA. From sea level to above 2700 m. One of the most common species near the west coast.

HABITAT Open grassy areas, urban parks and gardens, chaparral and shrub areas, mountain meadows.

EXAMPLE FOOD PLANTSArctostaphylos, Ceanothus, Chrysothamnus, Cirsium, Eriogonum, Eschscholzia, Lupinus, Phacelia, Rhododendron, Ribes, Vicia, Ericameria, Clarkia, Grindelia.

BEHAVIOR Nests underground. Males patrol circuits in search of mates.

PARASITISM BY OTHER BEES Unknown.

BOMBUS CALIGINOSUS (FRISON, 1927)

OBSCURE BUMBLE BEE

IDENTIFICATION

Western coastal, medium long-tongued species. Most similar to B. vosnesenskii and B. vandykei (see also B. occidentalis, B. franklini, B. fervidus, B. insularis, and B. flavidus).

HAND CHARACTERS Body size small (smaller than B. vosnesenskii, larger than B. vandykei): queen 16–18 mm (0.62–0.71 inch), worker 11–13 mm (0.43–0.50 inch). Hair short but slightly shaggy and uneven. Head length medium with the cheek (oculo-malar area) very slightly longer than broad (contrast B. occidentalis, B. franklini, B. fervidus), midleg basitarsus with the back far corner rounded, hindleg tibia outer surface flat without long hair but with long fringes at the sides, forming a pollen basket (corbicula). Hair of metasomal T3 black (contrast B. vandykei), T4 yellow but with black at the front and often forming a triangle in the middle and narrowly interrupting the yellow along the midline (contrast B. vosnesenskii, B. vandykei), S4 or S3–4 usually with pale fringes at the sides at the back (contrast B. vosnesenskii) or very rarely nearly entirely black, S2 and S5 with black fringes. Male 11–13 mm (0.46–0.49 inch). Eye similar in size and shape to the eye of any female bumble bee. Antenna of medium length, flagellum 3× longer than the scape (contrast B. occidentalis, B. franklini, B. fervidus). Hair color pattern similar to the queen/ worker.

MICROSCOPIC CHARACTERS Queen/worker lower central area of the clypeus with only small and not large pits or punctures (contrast B. vosnesenskii). Male hair of the upperside of the thorax at the back (scutellum) with a few yellow hairs intermixed, metasomal T4 with some black hair at the front, T5 yellow at the sides and sometimes at the back. Antennal segment A3 long, length nearly 2× the maximum breadth, almost as long as antennal segment A5. Genitalia with the penis-valve head sickle-shaped, the back-curved "sickle" short and broad (contrast B. vosnesenskii) less than 2× longer than the breadth of the broadest part and similar in breadth to the adjacent neck of the penis-valve head, the "sickle" flattened and broadly rounded at the tip, gonostylus shorter than broad (contrast B. vosnesenskii), the inner (medial) edge nearly straight, the margin thin with a short indistinct parallel submarginal groove.

OCCURRENCE

RANGE AND STATUS Mediterranean CA and Pacific Coast from southern CA to southern BC, with scattered records from the east side of CA Central Valley. Uncommon.

HABITAT Open grassy coastal prairies and Coast Range meadows.

EXAMPLE FOOD PLANTSCeanothus, Cirsium, Clarkia, Keckiella, Lathyrus, Lotus, Lupinus, Rhododendron, Rubus, Trifolium, Vaccinium.

BEHAVIOR Nests underground, also nests aboveground in abandoned bird nests. Males patrol circuits in search of mates.

PARASITISM BY OTHER BEES Unknown.

BOMBUS VANDYKEI (FRISON, 1927)

VAN DYKE BUMBLE BEE (INCLUDING CASCADENSIS)

IDENTIFICATION

Western, medium long-tongued species. Most similar to B. vosnesenskii and B. caliginosus (see also B. occidentalis,...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: PRINCETON UNIV PR
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0691152225
• ISBN 13: 9780691152226
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 208
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Princeton University Press; https://press.princeton.edu/books; ; 7th Floor, New South Building; PRINCETON; NJ; 8544; USA
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar