Sichel's bumblebee (''Bombus sichelii'') is a
species of
bumblebee.
Range
''Bombus sichelii'' is disjointly distributed in several subspecies in Eurasia: in the
Cantabrian Mountains, the
Pyrenees, the
Alps and the
Balkans (no evidence from the Fennoscandian area), in Asia Minor in the eastern
Pontic Mountains, in the
East Anatolian
The Eastern Anatolia Region ('' tr, Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi'') is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous province in the region is Van Province. Other populous provinces are Malatya, Erzurum and Elazığ.
It is bordered by the Black ...
mountains and in the
Caucasus, the Asian population westwards to
Arkhangelsk and
Moscow, south to
Penza and
Bashkortostan, east to
Kamchatka and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. In Central Europe restricted to the Alps.
In Germany the species appears only in the Bavarian Alps, in altitudes above 1300 m, mostly between 1900 and 2700 m (Trautmann & Trautmann 1924) and is very rare there.
In
Austria, with the exception of
Burgenland, found in all federal states. In
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
historically and currently from the Alpine region, occasionally in the Central Plateau and in the Jura.
Habitat
Mountain slopes with light forests, forest fringes and meadows. From the subalpine to the alpine altitude level.
Ecology
''Bombus sichelii'' is an
univoltine species. Overwintered females appear from the end of April to mid-June, depending on the altitude, the young females and males from the beginning of August.
The species is polylectic. It nests in underground cavities, e.g. in abandoned mouse nests. Nest-takers and pollen storer.
The colonies comprise 80 to 150 individuals.
Parasites: Cuckoo bee is ''
Bombus rupestris
''Bombus rupestris'' is a species of cuckoo bumblebee present in most of Europe except Iceland. In the Balkans it is found in montane and alpine habitats northwards from Central Greece. It is also found in Turkey.
Description
The female is much ...
''.
Etymology
Dedicated to the French entomologist
Frédéric Jules Sichel
Frédéric Jules Sichel (14 May 1802 – 11 November 1868) was a German-born, French physician and entomologist.
Sichel was born in Frankfurt am Main. From 1820 he studied medicine at the universities of Würzburg, Tübingen and Berlin, then from ...
(1802-1868).
Taxonomy
Subgenus
Melanabambus DALLA TORRE, 1880.
In Central Europe the ''ssp. alticala'' KRIECHBAUMER, 1873 occurs.
Synonyms: ''Pyrobombus sicheli'' (RADOSZKOWSKI, 1860); ''Bombus alticola'' KRIECHBAUMER, 1873.
Occasionally the species name is spelled with just an "i" - the original spelling is "sichelii" and is the genitive of "Sichelius", the Latinized form of the surname Sichel.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2283658
Bumblebees