Bombus hyperboreus
| Bombus hyperboreus | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Bombus |
| Subgenus: | Alpinobombus |
| Species: | B. hyperboreus |
| Binomial name | |
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Bombus hyperboreus Schönherr, 1809 |
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Bombus hyperboreus is a species of Arctic bumblebee with a circumpolar distribution. The species is primarily found in the arctic areas of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, northern Scandinavia, and Russia. It is a brood parasite, and attacks and enslaves other bumblebee colonies in order to reproduce as they do not even have the ability to produce workers themselves. Most of its targets are colonies of species of the same subgenus, Alpinobombus.
Bombus hyperboreus was originally named B. arcticus in 1802. Zoologist Schönherr renamed the species to B. hyperboreus in 1809. It was not until 1950 that B. hyperboreus was used commonly to identify the species. Petitions were needed to change the name to B. hyperboreus officially.
Bombus hyperboreus is part of the genus Bombus, which is composed of all of the bumblebee species. It also falls under the subgenus Alpinobombus and is most closely related to Bombus neoboreus, but also shares relations with Bombus Balteatus, B. alpinus, and B. polaris.
Due to its parasitic lifestyle, workers are rarely present. Queens and drones are similar, with the thorax and anterior part of the abdomen brownish-orange. The thorax has a black transversal band, while the last abdominal segments are black. Because the environment the species inhabits is cold and windy, it is suggested that their black bands act as a method to increase their body temperature through solar radiation, and their long, dense hair coat minimizes insulation loss. The mean length of the queen is relatively large at 18.4 millimetres (0.72 in) and is presumed to allow the species to counter the strong effects of the windy and cold environment.
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Wikipedia