Genus Bombus Scientific name Bombus melanopygus Rank Species | Subgenus Pyrobombus Higher classification Bumblebee | |
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Similar Bumblebee, Bee, Bombus flavifrons, Bombus vosnesenskii, Bombus mixtus | ||
Bombus melanopygus queen on pieris japonicus
Bombus melanopygus, the black-tailed bumble bee, black tail bumble bee or orange-rumped bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, and as far east as Idaho.
Contents
- Bombus melanopygus queen on pieris japonicus
- Groggy bombus melanopygus queen on heath flowers
- Biology
- Systematics
- References
Groggy bombus melanopygus queen on heath flowers
Biology
This bumblebee can utilize a number of habitat types, including agricultural and urban areas. It is "one of the few bumblebees still found regularly in San Francisco". It feeds on many types of plants, including manzanitas, wild lilacs, goldenbushes, wild buckwheats, lupines, penstemons, rhododendrons, willows, sages, and clovers. It nests underground or aboveground in structures.
This species is a host to the zombie fly (Apocephalus borealis).
Systematics
The second and third abdominal segments are red in northern populations and black in southern; individuals with black segments were previously known as Bombus edwardsii, a separate species. Genetic analyses support the conclusion that the two forms are the same species, with B. edwardsii as a synonym.
