Tag Archives: Apidae

Bombus rubriventris Lepeletier

Red-bellied Bumblebee (Bombus rubriventris)

The Red-bellied Bumblebee is known so far only from the holotype, which is a queen; it was allegedly collected in Brazil, apparently in the early 19th century, an exact locality, however, is not known but it is suspected that it might have come the Atlantic Forest.

The holotype is generally black with and shows a mainly reddish abdomen.

The bumblebee fauna of Brazil appears to be relatively well-known, but this species has never been recorded and thus is very likely extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Paul H. Williams: Bombus rubriventris: type locality, different histories of bumblebees in the New World, and a likely invertebrate extinction. Journal of Natural History 49(19-20): 1159-1171. 2015

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edited: 25.04.2022

Bombus melanopoda (Cockerell)

Sumatran Black Bumblebee (Bombus melanopoda)

The Sumatran Black Bumblebee is known from a single specimen, a female that was collected (probably sometimes during the late 19th century) on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

The species has never been recorded since and might be extinct; however, it is also possible that the single existing specimen represents a melanistic individual of another species that simply has been mislabeled. [1]

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References:

[1] Paul H. Williams: An annotated checklist of bumble bees with an analysis of patterns of description (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Bombini). Bulletin of the Natural History Museum. Entomology series 67: 79-152. 1998

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edited: 25.04.2022

Bombus franklini (Frison)

Franklin’s Bumblebee (Bombus franklini)

Franklin’s Bumblebee is, or perhaps was, one of the most narrowly distributed bumblebee species of the world, it is known only from a small area between the coast and the Sierra-Cascade Mountains in northern California and southern Oregon, USA.

The species was last seen in 2006 at Mt. Ashland in Oregon and is now most likely extinct.

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Photo: James P. Strange

(public domain)

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edited: 25.04.2022