Psithyrus
| Bombus(Psithyrus) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Bombus bohemicus | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Bombus |
| Subgenus: | Psithyrus |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Cuckoo bumblebeesare members of the subgenusPsithyrusin thebumblebeegenusBombus.Until recently,[when?]the 28 species ofPsithyruswere considered to constitute a separate genus.[1][2]They are a specializedsocially parasiticlineage which parasitises the nests of 'true' bumblebees, resulting in the loss of the ability to collectpollenand establish their own nests. Cuckoo bumblebees do not create a worker caste and produce only male and female reproductives. They are consideredinquilinesin the colonies of 'true' bumblebees.
Cuckoo bumblebee females emerge from hibernation later than their host species to ensure that their host has had sufficient time to establish a nest. Before finding and invading a host colony, aPsithyrusfemale feeds directly from flowers until her ovaries are sufficiently developed, at which time she begins seeking a nest to invade. Once she has located and infiltrated a host colony, thePsithyrusfemaleusurps the nestby killing or subduing the host queen. She then lays her own eggs, exploiting the host workers to feed her and her developing young through pheromones and/or physical attacks.
Selected species
[edit]- Bombus ashtoni
- Bombus barbutellus
- Bombus bellardii
- Bombus bohemicus
- Bombus branickii
- Bombus campestris
- Bombus chinensis
- Bombus citrinus
- Bombus coreanus
- Bombus cornutus
- Bombus expolitus
- Bombus fernaldae
- Bombus ferganicus
- Bombus flavidus
- Bombus insularis
- Bombus monozonous
- Bombus morawitzianus
- Bombus norvegicus
- Bombus quadricolor
- Bombus rupestris
- Bombus skorikovi
- Bombus suckleyi
- Bombus sylvestris
- Bombus tibetanus
- Bombus turneri
- Bombus variabilis
- Bombus vestalis
Gallery
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^Williams, P.H. 1994. Phylogenetic relationships among bumblebees (BombusLatr.): A reappraisal of morphological evidence. Systematic Entomology 19: 327-344.
- ^Lhomme, Patrick; Hines, Heather M (2018-10-04)."Ecology and Evolution of Cuckoo Bumble Bees".Annals of the Entomological Society of America.112(3): 122–140.doi:10.1093/aesa/say031.ISSN0013-8746.
Further reading
[edit]- Michener, C.D.(2000).The Bees of the World.Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Macdonald, M. & Nisbet, G. (2006).Highland Bumblebees: Distribution, Ecology and Conservation.HBRG, Inverness,http:// hbrg.org.uk.ISBN0-9552211-0-2.
