Bombus atratus
| Bombus atratus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidaeae |
| Subfamily: | Apinae |
| Tribe: | Bombini |
| Genus: | Bombus |
| Species: | B.atratus |
| Binomial name | |
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Bombus atratus Franklin, 1913 |
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| Distribution of Bombus atratus | |
Bombus atratus is a neotropical bumblebee that is found throughout regions of South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Argentina. It lives in social colonies that include a founder queen/queens, workers and brood. B. atratus is somewhat unusual because of its potential to oscillate between polygynous (multiple queens) and monogynous (one queen) nesting cycles.Bombus atratus was the first species in the genus Bombus that was discovered to display such polygynous nesting patterns. The polygynous nesting cycles lead to certain specific types of behavior including queen-queen aggression. Nests can also be perennial, which is a characteristic rarely found in other bumblebees. B. atratus can be helpful agriculturally because of their ability to pollinate different species of plants.B. atratus has been found to occupy a range of geographic areas and climates throughout South America. Colonies have the ability to thermoregulate nests and keep them a little bit warmer than the outside environment. Foraging workers use muscle contractions to maintain stable temperatures and coupe with seasonal and daily fluctuations in temperature.
B. atratus is a species of the Bombus genus. It is a member of the order Hymenoptera, which includes ants, bees, and wasps. Its family Apidae consists of honey bees, stingless bees, carpenter bees, bumblebees, orchid bees, and cuckoo bees. The tribe Bombini includes bristly bees that feed on nectar or pollen, and the genus Bombus is specific to bumblebees. Within Bombus, B. atrarus is part of the New World subgenus Fervidobombus, which includes closely relates species such as Bombus armeniacus, Bombus muscorum, and Bombus transversalis.
B. atratus are predominantly black in color. The throat of the bee is completely black while the abdomen is black with a small amount of lightening/discoloration towards the end. Small, dense fir bristles cover almost the entire body of B. atratus. Like most bumblebees, the abdomen of the bee has a rounded tip and a distinct forewing and hindwing. B.atratus workers have a long tongue that facilitates the process of retrieving nectar from within deep and tubular morphologies of flowers. The antenna of B. atratus are also relatively long. Workers have a wing length that ranges between 4 and 10 mm. Queens are usually two to three times the mass of workers.
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