BOHEMICUS (Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee)
Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus bohemicus)
BOHEMICUS 3
Bombus bohemicus (subg. Psithyrus)
IDENTIFICATION: SIMPLE
PREVALENCE: VERY RARE (Declining - Endangered)
Bombus bohemicus has experienced a massive decline in North America. The species was historically found in the area but has not been documented since 1992 in Rainy River (Chapples and Blue Townships). It is a host to both affinis and terricola so there is hope that it may still be around. Bohemicus can be identified by its large stature as well as being a cuckoo bumble bee with yellow on the front and rear portion of the thorax. It also has a fairly characteristic white stripe on T4. Males resemble fervidus but lack the orange colouration on T6-T7. This species should be identifiable from photographs taken from overtop, but as with all cuckoo bumble bees, it is also a good idea to get a photograph of the hind leg to eliminate all other subgenuses other than Psithyrus.
Bohemicus was historically considered a separate species in North America known as ashtoni but recent genetic evidence has shown the North American ashtoni and the european bohemicus were the same species. Bohemicus in Europe has not seen the same large decline as in North America, which is why globally the species still has a comparatively high conservation status.
Conservation Status 4
COSSARO: Endangered
COSEWIC: Endangered
Ontario: SU (Unrankable)
Canada: N1 (Critically Imperilled)
Global: G4 (Apparently Secure)
IUCN: Data Deficient
Sources and Credits
- (c) Nigel Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/insectman/503695660/
- (c) Bill Greaves, all rights reserved, uploaded by Bill Greaves
- Adapted by Bill Greaves from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_bohemicus
- (c) Bill Greaves, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
