Chandler, Leland

McCoy, C. Edward, Jr.

English

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 19 Article 11 1965 Bumble Bees of Arkansas (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombinae) Leland Chandler Purdue University C. Edward McCoy Jr. University of Arkansas Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Entomology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Chandler, Leland and McCoy, C. Edward Jr. (1965) "Bumble Bees of Arkansas (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombinae)," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 19 , Article 11. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/11 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. 46Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. 19, 1965THE BUMBLE BEES OF ARKANSAS(HYMENOPTERA, APIDAE, BOMBINAE)Leland Chandler and C. Edward McCoy, Jr.Departments of Entomology, Purdue University &University of Arkansas, respectively.PREFACEThe Department of Entomology, University of Arkansas, undertooka visiting scientist program during the summer of 1964. The majorobjective of this program was to further the development of a bio-systematic program which would contribute to the many facets of ento-mological research and teaching. In 1964, the emphasis was placedon the organization of the Hymenoptera section of the university col-ection.The role of the university collection is often not well-understood.ts central position in a university program cannot be overemphasized,lowever. Locally, it serves as a reference library of biological forms;t preserves materials for both biological and historical analysis; itsdata are not only the pinned and preserved specimens but the labelsand accompanying notes. From a synthesis of these data, patterns ofdistribution, dispersal, faunal change, seasonal occurrence and ecologicalamplitudes can be derived. These are the dynamic aspects of a col-ection.To the science of entomology, the collection serves as a regionalrepository and contributes basically to studies of wider geographicscope. Usually, such a collection has both strengths and weaknessesamong insect groups reflecting, in general, the interests of faculty,students and other contributors.A collection, pinned in drawers and held in cabinets, cannot servea great number of persons. Contrawise, an individual engaged in>utting names on museum specimens does not have sufficient oppor-unity to study the populations in the field. There is, therefore, alefinite need for a cooperative endeavor between the groups which can>e achieved through publications.This is the intent of this paper. The bumble bee species of thetate are listed, keys are presented for their identification, and the dis-ributional records as now known are included. Much of the latter infor-mation is presently fragmentary. Interested persons can, however, con-ribute to these sections and include studies on behavior, pollination,sopulation dynamics and other biological aspects. In turn, the spe-ialist can direct his attention to these same or similar studies.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIThe senior author accepted the invitation to participate in the 1964mmer and spent from June 15 to August 12 at Fayetteville. He is46Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196547Bumble Bees of Arkansasespecially grateful, for their interest, contributions and courtesies, toDr. Charles Lincoln, departmental chairman; L. Rolston, L. Warren andW. Whitcomb; to Phil Rouse, museum curator; and, to students K. Bell,W. Jones and D. AAcNeal.INTRODUCTIONBumble bees are of two kinds, the nest-making species with queenand worker castes of the genus Bombus; and, the parasitic species whichiave no worker caste of the genus Psithyrus. Females of Bombus havene hind tibiae expanded, fringed with long hairs, the central portions>are. This development is called a corbicula and it is in these corbi-ulae that pollen is collected for transport to the nest. Popularly, thesere called pollen-baskets. The females of Psithyrus do not collect pol-en and have lost these pollen-baskets. While the fringes may haveomewhat longer hair, the central area is also covered with hairs.:emale Psithyrus invade the nests of the true bumble bees and utilizeie existing workers in provisioning and tending the parasitic brood.Several recent publications are available that treat the bumble beesn more detail. In addition, each contains a list of references invalu-able to the investigator. These references are Stephen (1957) on west-rn America, LaBerge and Webb (1962) on Nebraska bumble bees,Mitchell (1962) on the bees of the eastern United States and Medlerand Carney (1963) on the bumble bees of Wisconsin. A check list of•Jorth American species may be found in Muesebeck, et al. (1951) andle supplement (Krombein, 1958). Milliron (1961) published on a dif-erent classification of the bumble bees but this is beyond the scopeof this paper. Hazeltine and Chandler (1964) presented a preliminaryatlas for the identification of female bumble bees.Franklin (1913) recorded six species ofBombus and one of Psithyrusas occurring in Arkansas. We have added one additional species ofBombus, but believe that B. fervidus, recorded by Franklin, does notoccur within the state.KEY FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF GENERA AND SEXESOF BUMBLE BEES OCCURRING INARKANSAS1. Antennae 12-segmented; abdomen with six visible abdominalsegments; with a sting; inner tarsal claws much shorter thanouter ones and diverging from them Females 2I'.Antennae 13-segmented; abdomen with seven visible ab-dominal segments; without a sting; inner tarsal claws nearlyequal in length to the outer ones and nearly parallel tothem Males 32. Hind tibia bare centrally, fringed with long hairs (possessinga pollen basket); abdomen covered with hairs obscuring thesurface; last abdominal segment straight in profile, not at all,or weakly ridged (queens & workers) Bombus47Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/1148Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings2". Hind tibia covered with hairs leaving no central bare area(without a pollen basket); abdomen shining, hair sparse andnot obscuring the surface to any extent; last abdominal seg-ment curved downward in profile with strong lateralridges (females) Psithyrus3. Hind tibia somewhat flattened, hairs in central area irregu-larly dispersed, occasionally with much of the area shining;face usually with some yellow hairs Bombusr'. Hind tibia somewhat rounded, hairs stiff and covering theouter surface uniformly; face with dense, bristly black hair,never with yellow hairs PsithyrusKEY FOR THE SEPARATION OF FEMALE BOMBUS1. Dorsum of thorax entirely yellow 2r". Dorsum of thorax largely black or with a distinct black hairband between the wing bases 42. First abdominal segment yellow, usually with a median,apical notch; remainder of abdomen black B. impatiensr'. First abdominal segment yellow, second segment with eitheryellow or rusty hair 33. Second abdominal segment with yellow hairs, sometimes inthe form of two yellow lobes, sometimes crescent-likeB. bimaculatus3'. Second abdominal segment with rusty hairs, usually crescent-like but occasionally covering most of the segment .... B. griseocollis4. Black band between wings well-defined, its edges more orless parallel 54'. Black area between wings irregular covering most of theposterior part of the thorax at times; not a well-defined band .... 65. First two abdominal segments yellow; remainder of abdomenblack B. fratemus5'. First four abdominal segments yellow; remainder of abdomenblack B. fervidus6. Top of head with some yellow hairs, occasionally formingtwo yellow lines; posterior part of thorax usually with someyellow hairs; ocelli placed below a line drawn tangentiallyacross the tops of the compound eyes; first abdominal seg-ment with varying amounts of yellow, second and third seg-ments yellow, remainder black; fourth and fifth antennalsegments subequal, third segment as long as fourth and fifthcombined B. nevadensis auricomus 48Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196549Bumble Bees of ArkansasITop of head with hairs all black; posterior part of thoraxusually black; ocelli placed above a line drawn tangentiallyacross the tops of the compound eyes; first abdominal seg-ment largely yellow, second and third segments yellow, re-mainder black; fifth antennal segment longer than fourth,third somewhat shorter than the fourth and fifth combinedamericanorumKEY FOR THE SEPARATION OF MALE BOMBUSIEyes large, bulging from the sides of the head; ocelli largeand set below the level of the top of the eyesIEyes normal, not bulging from the sides of the head; ocellismall and set above the level of the top of the eyes ... 4IFirst abdominal segment yellow, second with a medianrusty patch or nearly all rusty B. griseocollis¦ First abdominal segment yellow, or occasionally black, sec-ond segment wholly yellow without rust colored hairs¦ First two abdominal segments yellow, remainder of abdomenblack; black band between wings sharply defined; malarspace reduced to a line B. fraternusIFirst three, or at least second and third abdominal segmentsyellow, remainder of abdomen black; either no black hairsbetween wing bases or the black area irregular; malarspace well-defined B. nevadensis auricomusIFirst five abdominal segments yellow, remainder of abdomenblack, yellow or with reddish hairsIYellow confined to first and/or second segments, occasionallyyellow laterally on the fourth segment but this is not contin-uous with the yellow of the first segments 6ITip of abdomen usually with reddish hairs, but these mayalso be yellow or black; black band between wings poorlydefined; yellow hairs of body dull yellowish .. B. americanorum¦ Tip of abdomen with black hairs,- black band between wingsusually well-defined; yellow hairs of body bright lemonyellow B. fervidusIFirst segment of abdomen yellow; (occasionally the yellowhairs willencroach somewhat upon the median portion of thesecond segment); remainder of abdomen black; space be-tween eye and mandible (malar space) short B. impatiensIFirst segment of abdomen yellow, second segment with acrescent or bilobed yellow area; yellow hairs of ventralsurface occasionally covering fourth segment (var. ridingsii);space between eye and mandible long B. bimaculatus49Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/1150BOMBUS NEVADENSIS AURICOMUS (ROBT.JB. nevadensis is a polytypic species with an eastern (B. n. auri-comus) and a western (B. n. nevadensis) subspecies. The two subspeciesmay be differentiated in the females by the color of the pile on thedorsum of the thorax; this being entirely yellow in B. n. nevadensis, ancextensively black, posteriorly, in B. n. auricomus. In the males, theapical abdominal segments of B. n. nevadensis have yellow pile; thesesegments have black hair in B. n. auricomus. Only the eastern sub-species has been recorded from Arkansas.Females of B. n. auricomus are often confused with those of B.americanorum. The key characters, however, will separate the twospecies rather readily.B. n. auricomus has been collected in the following counties:Arkansas, Benton, Desha, Lafayette, Lee, Washington and White.BOMBUS FRATERNUS (SMITH)This is a widespread, easily recognized species. In addition tothe characters given in the key, the pile of B. fraternus is much shorterand appears more oppressed than any of the other species of bumblebees.We have records of its occurrence as follows: Ashley, Benton, Chi-cot, Clark, Crittenden, Desha, Grant, Little River, Lonoke, Nevada, Se-bastian and Washington.BOMBUS GRISEOCOLLIS (DeGEER)B. griseocollis differs from all other species in Arkansas by thepresence of rusty (ferruginous) pile on the second abdominal segment.Typically, this color is restricted to the anterior portion of the secondsegment, but in some workers and males, it tends to cover the entiresegment. There is also a tendency for this to fade in older or wornindividuals, being more yellow in appearance. The position of theocelli are diagnostic, however.The males of B. griseocollis are big-eyed as are those of B. n.auricomus and B. fraternus. In all three species the males exhibita territorality behavior. The tendency for B. griseocollis males to occupyterminal branches of isolated trees has given rise to the local name of"shade bees".B. griseocollis has been recorded from the following counties: Ar-kansas, Benton, Franklin, Grant, Lafayette, Little River, Logan, Marion,Miller, Montgomery, St. Francis, Sebastian and Washington.BOMBUS AMERICANORUM (FABR.)This is the most widespread and most common species of bumblebee in Arkansas . It is also the most variable in color pattern. As men-50Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196551Bumble Bees of Arkansas|>nedpreviously, the females resemble those of B. n. auricomus; theales (with the apical abdominal segments black) are difficult to dis-iguish from B. fervidus and only genitalic characters are reliable (seeedler and Carney, 1963). In addition to being the most abundant, italso the most vicious species of bumble bee in the state.There is a considerable controversy as to the correct name to beapplied to this species. According to our usage, B. pennsylvanicus(DeG.) is a synonym.>B.americanorum has been collected in the following counties:kansas, Benton, Boone, Clark, Cleveland, Craighead, Crawford, Frank-, Grant, Hempstead, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lincoln, Little River, Logan,noke, Miller,Mississippi, Phillips, Prairie, St. Francis, Sebastian, Sevier,arp, Washington and White.BOMBUS FERVIDUS (FABR.)IFranklin (1913) stated that B. fervidus was absent from the greaterrt of Arkansas. We have not been able to locate the early collec-n records to which Franklin alluded. It is certainly probable thatfervidus occurred within the state during the early 1900s. How-er, it also appears certain that the species does not now occur inkansas. Any record based upon males should be confirmed byidies of the genitalia. The females are distinct.IThe range of B. fervidus is essentially more northern than any ofb other species. Medler and Carney (1963) have shown that certainecies in Wisconsin have withdrawn northward within recent times,nilar instances are indicated in Indiana and the early records ofimble bee species in Illinois (Frison, 1919) complement Medlers,dy.»The value of collections as a source of historical and distributionalta is emphasized by this example.BOMBUS BIMACULATUS CRIB.bimaculatus queens are among the first to appear in the spring.Drkers and males are produced extremely early in the season. Dur-j the summer, this species is rarely encountered, but there is a shortriod of activity in late summer or early fall.¦ Although color variants are not now considered deserving ofmenclatorial status, the varietal name ridingsii was given to a colorrm in which the fourth abdominal segment is extensively coveredth yellow hair instead of black. This variant occurs throughout thenge of the species and has been taken in Arkansas.IThe county records of B. bimaculatus are: Benton, Franklin, Missis-pi, Montgomery and Washington.wan? mtas>^J ma»51Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/1152Arkansas Academy of Science ProceedingsBOMBUS IMPATIENS CR.The color and color pattern of B. impatiens is remarkably stable.There has been some confusion with B. bimaculatus, especially if thereis a reduction in the amount of yellow pile on the second segmentof the latter. The difference in malar space, however, is constant.B. Impatiens is known from the following counties: Dallas, Grant,Hempstead, Washington and White.PSITHYRUS VARIABILIS(CR.)This is the only species of Psithyrus recorded from Arkansas. It isa parasite of B. americanorum. The females have the dorsum of thethorax covered with yellow hair, but the pleura are largely black. Theabdomen is sparsely covered with blackish hairs, the cuticle beingalmost completely visible and shiny. The last abdominal sternite isstrongly bent downward.The thorax of the male is similarly colored except for a tendencyoward a black interalar band. The abdomen is more densely coveredwith hair with varying amounts of yellow hairs on segments 2, 3 andAlthough the top of the head has a large amount of yellow hair,ie face is covered with stiff, black hairs, never with an admixture ofellow.Our only record of P. variabilis is from Washington County.LITERATURE CITEDBurks, B. D. 1951. (Tribe Bombini) in Muesebeck, C. F. W., K. V.Krombein and H. K. Townes; Hymenoptera of America north ofMexico. Synoptic Catalog. U. S. Dept. Agric. Monog. 2:1247-1255.Franklin, Henry J. 1913. The Bombidae of the New World. Part I.Trans. American Entomol. Soc. 38(3-4): 177-486.Irison, T. H. 1919. Keys for the separation of the Bremidae, or bum-blebees, of Illinois, and other notes. Trans. Illinois State Acad.Sci. 12:157-165.Iazeltine, W. E. and L. Chandler. 1964. A preliminary atlas for theidentification of female bumble bees. J. Kansas Entomol. Soc.37(l):77-87.irombein, K. V. 1958. Hymenoptera of America north of Mexico.Synoptic Catalog. U. S. Dept. Agric. Monog. 2, First Supplement:260-261.IBerge, W. E. and M. C. Webb. 1962. The bumblebees of Nebraska.Univ. Nebraska Res. Bull. 205:1 -38. 52Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11Published by Arkansas Acad my of Science, 196553Bumble Bees of ArkansasMedlor, John T. and D. W. Carney. 1963. Bumblebees of Wisconsin.Univ. Wisconsin Res. Bull. 240:1-47.Milliron, H. E. 1961. Revised classification of the bumblebees—asynopsis. J. Kansas Entomol. Soc. 34(2):49-61.Mitchell, T. B. 1962. Bees of the eastern United States. Volume II.North Carolina Agric. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. 152:513-546.Stephen, W. P. 1957. Bumble bees of western America. OregonState Agric. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. 40:1-163.53Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/11

Bumble Bees of Arkansas (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombinae)

Chandler, Leland D.

DigitalCommons@USU

The Bumble Bees of Arkansas (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombinae)

ScholarWorks@UARK

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 19 Article 111965Bumble Bees of Arkansas (Hymenoptera, Apidae,Bombinae)Leland ChandlerPurdue UniversityC. Edward McCoy Jr.University of ArkansasFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Entomology Commons, and the Zoology CommonsThis article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able toread, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking priorpermission from the publisher or the author.This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academyof Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu, ccmiddle@uark.edu.Recommended CitationChandler, Leland and McCoy, C. Edward Jr. (1965) "Bumble Bees of Arkansas (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombinae)," Journal of theArkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 19 , Article 11.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/1146Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. 19, 1965THE BUMBLE BEES OF ARKANSAS(HYMENOPTERA, APIDAE, BOMBINAE)Leland Chandler and C. Edward McCoy, Jr.Departments of Entomology, Purdue University &University of Arkansas, respectively.PREFACEThe Department of Entomology, University of Arkansas, undertooka visiting scientist program during the summer of 1964. The majorobjective of this program was to further the development of a bio-systematic program which would contribute to the many facets of ento-mological research and teaching. In 1964, the emphasis was placedon the organization of the Hymenoptera section of the university col-ection.The role of the university collection is often not well-understood.ts central position in a university program cannot be overemphasized,lowever. Locally, it serves as a reference library of biological forms;t preserves materials for both biological and historical analysis; itsdata are not only the pinned and preserved specimens but the labelsand accompanying notes. From a synthesis of these data, patterns ofdistribution, dispersal, faunal change, seasonal occurrence and ecologicalamplitudes can be derived. These are the dynamic aspects of a col-ection.To the science of entomology, the collection serves as a regionalrepository and contributes basically to studies of wider geographicscope. Usually, such a collection has both strengths and weaknessesamong insect groups reflecting, in general, the interests of faculty,students and other contributors.A collection, pinned in drawers and held in cabinets, cannot servea great number of persons. Contrawise, an individual engaged in>utting names on museum specimens does not have sufficient oppor-unity to study the populations in the field. There is, therefore, alefinite need for a cooperative endeavor between the groups which can>e achieved through publications.This is the intent of this paper. The bumble bee species of thetate are listed, keys are presented for their identification, and the dis-ributional records as now known are included. Much of the latter infor-mation is presently fragmentary. Interested persons can, however, con-ribute to these sections and include studies on behavior, pollination,sopulation dynamics and other biological aspects. In turn, the spe-ialist can direct his attention to these same or similar studies.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIThe senior author accepted the invitation to participate in the 1964mmer and spent from June 15 to August 12 at Fayetteville. He is46Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196547Bumble Bees of Arkansasespecially grateful, for their interest, contributions and courtesies, toDr. Charles Lincoln, departmental chairman; L. Rolston, L. Warren andW. Whitcomb; to Phil Rouse, museum curator; and, to students K. Bell,W. Jones and D. AAcNeal.INTRODUCTIONBumble bees are of two kinds, the nest-making species with queenand worker castes of the genus Bombus; and, the parasitic species whichiave no worker caste of the genus Psithyrus. Females of Bombus havene hind tibiae expanded, fringed with long hairs, the central portions>are. This development is called a corbicula and it is in these corbi-ulae that pollen is collected for transport to the nest. Popularly, thesere called pollen-baskets. The females of Psithyrus do not collect pol-en and have lost these pollen-baskets. While the fringes may haveomewhat longer hair, the central area is also covered with hairs.:emale Psithyrus invade the nests of the true bumble bees and utilizeie existing workers in provisioning and tending the parasitic brood.Several recent publications are available that treat the bumble beesn more detail. In addition, each contains a list of references invalu-able to the investigator. These references are Stephen (1957) on west-rn America, LaBerge and Webb (1962) on Nebraska bumble bees,Mitchell (1962) on the bees of the eastern United States and Medlerand Carney (1963) on the bumble bees of Wisconsin. A check list of•Jorth American species may be found in Muesebeck, et al. (1951) andle supplement (Krombein, 1958). Milliron (1961) published on a dif-erent classification of the bumble bees but this is beyond the scopeof this paper. Hazeltine and Chandler (1964) presented a preliminaryatlas for the identification of female bumble bees.Franklin (1913) recorded six species ofBombus and one of Psithyrusas occurring in Arkansas. We have added one additional species ofBombus, but believe that B. fervidus, recorded by Franklin, does notoccur within the state.KEY FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF GENERA AND SEXESOF BUMBLE BEES OCCURRING INARKANSAS1. Antennae 12-segmented; abdomen with six visible abdominalsegments; with a sting; inner tarsal claws much shorter thanouter ones and diverging from them Females 2I'. Antennae 13-segmented; abdomen with seven visible ab-dominal segments; without a sting; inner tarsal claws nearlyequal in length to the outer ones and nearly parallel tothem Males 32. Hind tibia bare centrally, fringed with long hairs (possessinga pollen basket); abdomen covered with hairs obscuring thesurface; last abdominal segment straight in profile, not at all,or weakly ridged (queens & workers) Bombus47Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/1148Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings2". Hind tibia covered with hairs leaving no central bare area(without a pollen basket); abdomen shining, hair sparse andnot obscuring the surface to any extent; last abdominal seg-ment curved downward in profile with strong lateralridges (females) Psithyrus3. Hind tibia somewhat flattened, hairs in central area irregu-larly dispersed, occasionally with much of the area shining;face usually with some yellow hairs Bombusr'.Hind tibia somewhat rounded, hairs stiff and covering theouter surface uniformly; face with dense, bristly black hair,never with yellow hairs PsithyrusKEY FOR THE SEPARATION OF FEMALE BOMBUS1. Dorsum of thorax entirely yellow 2r". Dorsum of thorax largely black or with a distinct black hairband between the wing bases 42. First abdominal segment yellow, usually with a median,apical notch; remainder of abdomen black B. impatiensr'. First abdominal segmentyellow, second segment with eitheryellow or rusty hair 33. Second abdominal segment with yellow hairs, sometimes inthe form of two yellow lobes, sometimes crescent-likeB. bimaculatus3'. Second abdominal segment with rusty hairs, usually crescent-like but occasionally covering most of the segment .... B. griseocollis4. Black band between wings well-defined, its edges more orless parallel 54'. Black area between wings irregular covering most of theposterior part of the thorax at times; not a well-defined band .... 65. First two abdominal segments yellow; remainder of abdomenblack B. fratemus5'. First four abdominal segments yellow; remainder of abdomenblack B. fervidus6. Top of head with some yellow hairs, occasionally formingtwo yellow lines; posterior part of thorax usually with someyellow hairs; ocelli placed below a line drawn tangentiallyacross the tops of the compound eyes; first abdominal seg-ment with varying amounts of yellow, second and third seg-ments yellow, remainder black; fourth and fifth antennalsegments subequal, third segment as long as fourth and fifthcombined B. nevadensis auricomus 48Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196549Bumble Bees of ArkansasITop of head with hairs all black; posterior part of thoraxusually black; ocelli placed above a line drawn tangentiallyacross the tops of the compound eyes; first abdominal seg-ment largely yellow, second and third segments yellow, re-mainder black; fifth antennal segment longer than fourth,third somewhat shorter than the fourth and fifth combinedamericanorumKEY FOR THE SEPARATION OF MALE BOMBUSIEyes large, bulging from the sides of the head; ocelli largeand set below the level of the top of the eyesIEyes normal, not bulging from the sides of the head; ocellismall and set above the level of the top of the eyes ... 4IFirst abdominal segment yellow, second with a medianrusty patch or nearly all rusty B. griseocollis¦ First abdominal segment yellow, or occasionally black, sec-ond segment wholly yellow without rust colored hairs¦ First two abdominal segments yellow, remainder of abdomenblack; black band between wings sharply defined; malarspace reduced to a line B. fraternusIFirst three, or at least second and third abdominal segmentsyellow, remainder of abdomen black; either no black hairsbetween wing bases or the black area irregular; malarspace well-defined B. nevadensis auricomusIFirst five abdominal segments yellow, remainder of abdomenblack, yellow or with reddish hairsIYellow confined to first and/or second segments, occasionallyyellow laterally on the fourth segment but this is not contin-uous with the yellow of the first segments 6ITip of abdomen usually with reddish hairs, but these mayalso be yellow or black; black band between wings poorlydefined; yellow hairs of body dull yellowish .. B. americanorum¦ Tip of abdomen with black hairs,- black band between wingsusually well-defined; yellow hairs of body bright lemonyellow B. fervidusIFirst segment of abdomen yellow; (occasionally the yellowhairs willencroach somewhat upon the median portion of thesecond segment); remainder of abdomen black; space be-tween eye and mandible (malar space) short B. impatiensIFirst segment of abdomen yellow, second segment with acrescent or bilobed yellow area; yellow hairs of ventralsurface occasionally covering fourth segment (var. ridingsii);space between eye and mandible long B. bimaculatus49Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/1150BOMBUS NEVADENSIS AURICOMUS (ROBT.JB. nevadensis is a polytypic species with an eastern (B. n. auri-comus) and a western (B. n. nevadensis) subspecies. The two subspeciesmay be differentiated in the females by the color of the pile on thedorsum of the thorax; this being entirely yellow in B. n. nevadensis, ancextensively black, posteriorly, in B. n. auricomus. In the males, theapical abdominal segments of B. n. nevadensis have yellow pile; thesesegments have black hair in B. n. auricomus. Only the eastern sub-species has been recorded from Arkansas.Females of B. n. auricomus are often confused with those of B.americanorum. The key characters, however, will separate the twospecies rather readily.B. n. auricomus has been collected in the following counties:Arkansas, Benton, Desha, Lafayette, Lee, Washington and White.BOMBUS FRATERNUS (SMITH)This is a widespread, easily recognized species. In addition tothe characters given in the key, the pile of B. fraternus is much shorterand appears more oppressed than any of the other species of bumblebees.We have records of its occurrence as follows: Ashley, Benton, Chi-cot, Clark, Crittenden, Desha, Grant, Little River, Lonoke, Nevada, Se-bastian and Washington.BOMBUS GRISEOCOLLIS (DeGEER)B. griseocollis differs from all other species in Arkansas by thepresence of rusty (ferruginous) pile on the second abdominal segment.Typically, this color is restricted to the anterior portion of the secondsegment, but in some workers and males, it tends to cover the entiresegment. There is also a tendency for this to fade in older or wornindividuals, being more yellow in appearance. The position of theocelli are diagnostic, however.The males of B. griseocollis are big-eyed as are those of B. n.auricomus and B. fraternus. In all three species the males exhibita territorality behavior. The tendency for B. griseocollis males to occupyterminal branches of isolated trees has given rise to the local name of"shade bees".B. griseocollis has been recorded from the following counties: Ar-kansas, Benton, Franklin, Grant, Lafayette, Little River, Logan, Marion,Miller, Montgomery, St. Francis, Sebastian and Washington.BOMBUS AMERICANORUM (FABR.)This is the most widespread and most common species of bumblebee in Arkansas . It is also the most variable in color pattern. As men-50Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196551Bumble Bees of Arkansas|>ned previously, the females resemble those of B. n. auricomus; theales (with the apical abdominal segments black) are difficult to dis-iguish from B. fervidus and only genitalic characters are reliable (seeedler and Carney, 1963). In addition to being the most abundant, italso the most vicious species of bumble bee in the state.There is a considerable controversy as to the correct name to beapplied to this species. According to our usage, B. pennsylvanicus(DeG.) is a synonym.>B. americanorum has been collected in the following counties:kansas, Benton, Boone, Clark, Cleveland, Craighead, Crawford, Frank-, Grant, Hempstead, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lincoln, Little River, Logan,noke, Miller,Mississippi, Phillips, Prairie, St. Francis, Sebastian, Sevier,arp, Washington and White.BOMBUS FERVIDUS (FABR.)IFranklin (1913) stated that B. fervidus was absent from the greaterrt of Arkansas. We have not been able to locate the early collec-n records to which Franklin alluded. It is certainly probable thatfervidus occurred within the state during the early 1900s. How-er, it also appears certain that the species does not now occur inkansas. Any record based upon males should be confirmed byidies of the genitalia. The females are distinct.IThe range of B. fervidus is essentially more northern than any ofb other species. Medler and Carney (1963) have shown that certainecies in Wisconsin have withdrawn northward within recent times,nilar instances are indicated in Indiana and the early records ofimble bee species in Illinois (Frison, 1919) complement Medlers,dy.»The value of collections as a source of historical and distributionalta is emphasized by this example.BOMBUS BIMACULATUS CRIB. bimaculatus queens are among the first to appear in the spring.Drkers and males are produced extremely early in the season. Dur-j the summer, this species is rarely encountered, but there is a shortriod of activity in late summer or early fall.¦ Although color variants are not now considered deserving ofmenclatorial status, the varietal name ridingsii was given to a colorrm in which the fourth abdominal segment is extensively coveredth yellow hair instead of black. This variant occurs throughout thenge of the species and has been taken in Arkansas.IThe county records of B. bimaculatus are: Benton, Franklin, Missis-pi, Montgomery and Washington.wan? mtas>^J ma»51Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/1152Arkansas Academy of Science ProceedingsBOMBUS IMPATIENS CR.The color and color pattern of B. impatiens is remarkably stable.There has been some confusion with B. bimaculatus, especially if thereis a reduction in the amount of yellow pile on the second segmentof the latter. The difference in malar space, however, is constant.B. Impatiens is known from the following counties: Dallas, Grant,Hempstead, Washington and White.PSITHYRUS VARIABILIS(CR.)This is the only species of Psithyrus recorded from Arkansas. It isa parasite of B. americanorum. The females have the dorsum of thethorax covered with yellow hair, but the pleura are largely black. Theabdomen is sparsely covered with blackish hairs, the cuticle beingalmost completely visible and shiny. The last abdominal sternite isstrongly bent downward.The thorax of the male is similarly colored except for a tendencyoward a black interalar band. The abdomen is more densely coveredwith hair with varying amounts of yellow hairs on segments 2, 3 andAlthough the top of the head has a large amount of yellow hair,ie face is covered with stiff, black hairs, never with an admixture ofellow.Our only record of P. variabilis is from Washington County.LITERATURE CITEDBurks, B. D. 1951. (Tribe Bombini) in Muesebeck, C. F. W., K. V.Krombein and H. K. Townes; Hymenoptera of America north ofMexico. Synoptic Catalog. U. S. Dept. Agric. Monog. 2:1247-1255.Franklin, Henry J. 1913. The Bombidae of the New World. Part I.Trans. American Entomol. Soc. 38(3-4): 177-486.Irison, T. H. 1919. Keys for the separation of the Bremidae, or bum-blebees, of Illinois, and other notes. Trans. Illinois State Acad.Sci. 12:157-165.Iazeltine, W. E. and L. Chandler. 1964. A preliminary atlas for theidentification of female bumble bees. J. Kansas Entomol. Soc.37(l):77-87.irombein, K. V. 1958. Hymenoptera of America north of Mexico.Synoptic Catalog. U. S. Dept. Agric. Monog. 2, First Supplement:260-261.IBerge, W. E. and M. C. Webb. 1962. The bumblebees of Nebraska.Univ. Nebraska Res. Bull. 205:1 -38. 52Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11Published by Arkansas Acad my of Science, 196553Bumble Bees of ArkansasMedlor, John T. and D. W. Carney. 1963. Bumblebees of Wisconsin.Univ. Wisconsin Res. Bull. 240:1-47.Milliron, H. E. 1961. Revised classification of the bumblebees — asynopsis. J. Kansas Entomol. Soc. 34(2):49-61.Mitchell, T. B. 1962. Bees of the eastern United States. Volume II.North Carolina Agric. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. 152:513-546.Stephen, W. P. 1957. Bumble bees of western America. OregonState Agric. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. 40:1-163.53Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 19 [1965], Art. 11http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol19/iss1/11

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Bumble Bees of Arkansas (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombinae)

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