''Bombus fraternus'' is an endangered species of

bumblebee 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 gener ...

known commonly as the Southern Plains bumblebee.NatureServe. 2015
''Bombus fraternus''.
NatureServe Explorer Version 7.1. Accessed 4 March 2016. It is native to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

east of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. It is most often encountered in the southern

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

and along the

Gulf Coastal Plain The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico. This coastal plain reaches from the Florida Panhandle, southwest Georgia, the southern two-thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, wes ...

. This species has been found as far north as

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, and as far south as

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

along the Gulf Coastal Plain into the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. This species was uncommon historically, but having faced declines in population; its estimated abundance is less than 15% of historical numbers.Hatfield, R., et al. 2014
''Bombus fraternus''.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 05 March 2016.

Taxonomy

Bumblebees are members of the genus ''Bombus'' within the

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

order

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order (biology), order of insects, comprising the sawfly, sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are Par ...

and family

Apidae Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees (also used for ...

. Bombus fraternus was first described by Frederick Smith in 1854. The southern plains bumble bee is classified under the subgenus Cullumanobombus.

Description

The southern plains bumblebee is mostly black, with yellow bands across the

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

and

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

that distinguish it from other bumblebees. This species is large in comparison to other bumblebees and is unusual among bumblebees because the hairs of the abdomen appear flattened rather than fluffy like most other bumblebees. Queens range in size from 0.97 to 1.07 inches (25-27 mm) while workers range in size from 0.56 to 0.75 inches (15-19 mm).Williams PH, Thorp RW, Richardson LL, Colla SR. 2014. The Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Queens and workers have very similar coloration. The female bee’s body is covered in short yellow and black hairs with distinctive flattened, black hairs on the third tergal segment. Hairs on the face and sides of the thorax are usually black. Metasoma (upper side of abdomen) is nearly rectangular and slightly flattened with yellow hairs on the first and second tergal segments but the third tergal segment is entirely black. Males are also large, ranging in size from 0.85-1.00 inches (22-25 mm) with eyes much larger than females and with long antennae. Antennae segments are nearly three times the length of the base of the antennae called the scape. Coloration pattern for males is very similar to females with the area between the wings sometimes extensively yellow.

Life Cycle

Habitat

The southern plains bumble bee can be found in the open prairies, meadows, and grasslands of the southeastern coastal plain and throughout the Great Plains from Texas to North Dakota. This species is a foraging generalist having recorded floral associations with flowering plants from at least 20 plant families. Example food plants for the southern plains bumble bee are

Asclepias ''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to humans ...

, ''

Bidens ''Bidens'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae.''Bidens''.
Flo ...

'',

blanket flower ''Gaillardia'' (common name blanket flower) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to North America, North and South America. It was named after Maître Gaillard de Charentonneau, an 18th-century French magistrate who w ...

, bush clover, '' Cassia'', '' Eryngium'', ''

Hypericum ''Hypericum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae (formerly considered a subfamily of Clusiaceae). The genus has a nearly worldwide distribution, missing only from tropical lowlands, deserts and polar regions. Many ''Hype ...

'', ''

Liatris ''Liatris'' (), commonly known as gayfeather and blazing star. is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae native to North America (Canada, United States, Mexico and the Bahamas). Some species are used ...

'', ''

Melilotus ''Melilotus'', known as melilot, sweet clover, and kumoniga (from the Cumans),Bulgarian Folk Customs, Mercia MacDermott, pg 27 is a genus in the family Fabaceae (the same family that also includes the ''Trifolium'' clovers). Members are known ...

'', ''

Monarda ''Monarda'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae.Harley, R. M., et al. 2004. "Labiatae". pp 167-275 In: Kubitzki, K. (editor) and J. W. Kadereit (volume editor). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' volume VII. ...

'', '' Padus'', ''

Ratibida ''Ratibida'' is a genus of North American plants in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as prairie coneflowers or mexican-hat. Species There are 7 species: * ''Ratibida coahuilensis'' B.L.T ...

'', ''

Solidago ''Solidago'', commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 to 120''Solidago''.
F ...

'', and ''

Vaccinium ''Vaccinium'' is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (whort ...

''. The southern plains bumble bee is adaptable within open natural and human modified habitats and can be found in intact prairie, within agricultural land, and in urbanized habitat. The southern plains bumble bee occurs in urbanized areas that have suitable floral and nesting resources. It has been recently found in the vicinity of St. Louis, both at an urban farm and at a restoration prairie. The southern plains bumble bee nests underground. In general, bumble bees are opportunistic nesters that do not dig their own underground nests, but take advantage of pre-existing holes and depressions below the surface formed by rodents or other animals or cavities above the surface created by old logs, stumps, old ground-nesting bird nests, or clumps of grass. Mated females also require sites where they can hibernate during the winter after mating. The specific requirements of overwintering sites of this species are not yet known, but overwintering sites are distinct from colony nesting sites and may or may not be near foraging areas. Bumble bees are generally known to hibernate close to the ground surface or down an inch or two in loose soil, or under leaf litter or other debris, in sites that are undisturbed and have adequate organic material to provide shelter.

Distribution

The southern plains bumble bee was historically found across the southern and central Great Plains and along the southeastern coastal plain. The southern plains bumble bee has been observed in 27 states. The bee was rarely observed in the northernmost part of its range in North Dakota and Michigan. This species was not considered ever present in Wisconsin.Wolf AT, Ascher JS. 2008. Bees of Wisconsin (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) 41:41. The species has a small number of records from the Mexican state of Chihuahua, but none within the past decade. There are no known records from Canada.

References

External links

Bumblebees of Florida.
Aid to identification. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2444512 Bumblebees Hymenoptera of North America Insects described in 1854 Taxa named by Frederick Smith (entomologist)