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Ferdinand Morawitz
Ferdinand Ferdinandovich Morawitz (russian: Фердинанд Фердинандович Моравиц, german: Ferdinand Carl Joseph Morawitz; 3 August 1827 in St. Petersburg – 5 December 1896 in St. Petersburg) was a Russian entomologist. His parents were German emigrants from Silesia. He was brought up in a closed school for boys. In 1853, Morawitz graduated from the 'Dorpat' (part of Tartu University), Estonia with a 'Doctor of Medicine' degree. With a final year dissertation on the anatomy of Blatta germanica. After he graduated, he moved to St Petersburg. He then had a Doctors practise for 15 years until 1879. But in his spare time he was interested in entomology. He was one of the founding members of the Russian Entomological Society in 1859. He first published scientific work on Coleoptera in 1860. Morawitz also studied the collection of naturalist Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko, who had collected significant numbers of insects from three explorations from 1869 to 18 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psithyrus
Cuckoo bumblebees are members of the subgenus ''Psithyrus'' in the bumblebee genus ''Bombus''. Until recently, the 28 species of ''Psithyrus'' were considered to constitute a separate genus. They are a specialized socially parasitic lineage which parasitises the nests of 'true' bumblebees, resulting in the loss of the ability to collect pollen and establish their own nests. Cuckoo bumblebees do not create a worker caste and produce only male and female reproductives. They are considered inquilines in the colonies of 'true' bumblebees. Cuckoo bumblebee females emerge from hibernation later than their host species to ensure that their host has had sufficient time to establish a nest. Before finding and invading a host colony, a ''Psithyrus'' female feeds directly from flowers until her ovaries are sufficiently developed, at which time she begins seeking a nest to invade. Once she has located and infiltrated a host colony, the ''Psithyrus'' female usurps the nest by killing or su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bumblebees
A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera (e.g., ''Calyptapis'') are known from fossils. They are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America, where a few lowland tropical species have been identified. European bumblebees have also been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania. Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals. Most bumblebees are social insects that form colonies with a single queen. The colonies are smaller than those of honey bees, growing to as few as 50 individuals in a nest. Cuckoo bumblebees are brood parasitic and do not make nests or form colonies; their queens aggressively invade the nests of other bumblebee species, kill the resident queen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
