Bombus appositus is a species of bumblebee known commonly as the white-shouldered bumblebee.[1][2] It is native to western North America, including western Canada and the western United States.[1]

Bombus appositus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Bombus
Subgenus: Subterraneobombus
Species:
B. appositus
Binomial name
Bombus appositus
Cresson, 1878

This species lives in open habitat, such as meadows and slopes. It nests underground or on the surface. Males congregate to seek mates. It feeds on a variety of plant taxa, including giant hyssops, thistles, gentians, owl's clovers, locoweeds, penstemons, and clovers.[1] It especially favors subalpine larkspur (Delphinium barbeyi) and it serves as one of the plant's main pollinators.[3]

This species has a range from southwestern Canada south to the Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, and west to central California[4]

This species is a host to Bombus insularis, a species of cuckoo bumblebee.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Hatfield, R., et al. 2015. Bombus appositus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 04 March 2016.
  2. ^ NatureServe. 2015. Bombus appositus. NatureServe Explorer Version 7.1. Accessed 4 March 2016.
  3. ^ Manson, J. S., et al. (2013). Dose‐dependent effects of nectar alkaloids in a montane plant–pollinator community. Journal of Ecology, 101(6), 1604-1612.
  4. ^ https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IIHYM24040