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Bombus rupestris

Bombus rupestris
Bombus rupestris - Centaurea scabiosa - Keila2.jpg
Male
Bombus rupestris - Trifolium pratense - Keila.jpg
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Bombus
Subgenus: Psithyrus
Species: B. rupestris
Binomial name
Bombus rupestris
(Fabricius, 1793)
Synonyms
  • Apathus rupestris (Fabricius, 1793)
  • Apis albinella Kirby, 1802
  • Apis arenaris Panzer, 1801
  • Apis frutetorum Panzer, 1801
  • Apis rupestris Fabricius, 1793
  • Bombus obscurus Seidl, 1838
  • Bombus rupestris orientanus Reinig, 1931
  • Bombus rupestris siculus Reinig, 1931
  • Psithyrus rupestris (Fabricius, 1793)

Bombus rupestris is a species of cuckoo bumblebee present in most of Europe except Iceland and the Balkans. It is also found in Turkey.

The female is much larger than the male; she has a length of 20–25 mm (0.79–0.98 in), while the drone usually is not more than 16 mm (0.63 in). The bumblebee is black, with the last abdominal segments coloured orange-red.

Due to its parasitic lifestyle, no workers exist.

Bombus rupestris is found in flower-rich habitats, such as meadows and along hedgerows. The bumblebee parasitizes the nests of the red-tailed bumblebee, B. lapidarius, whose queen is killed or subjugated.



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Wikipedia

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