Bombus

B. kashmirensis worker robbing Delphinium.

Alpigenobombus ecology and behaviour   HABITAT: Alpine grassland, meadow, and forest-edge habitats in mountains.   FOOD-PLANTS: Short to medium tongue-length bumblebees. Females are unusual for having six strong mandibular teeth, which are often used for biting holes in deep flower corollas in order to rob nectar (e.g. photo left).   NESTING BEHAVIOUR: Nests underground. Pocket-makers only early in colony development.   MATE-SEARCHING BEHAVIOUR: Males of B. wurflenii (and probably the other species) patrol circuits of scent marks. Males of B. kashmirensis have slightly enlarged compound eyes relative to females. They hover and race after potential mates, without being territorial (Williams, 1991).

Subgenus ALPIGENOBOMBUS Skorikov
Alpigenobombus Skorikov, 1914a:128, type-species Alpigenobombus pulcherrimus Skorikov (= Bombus kashmirensis Friese) by subsequent designation of Williams, 1991:65
Bombus (Mastrucatobombus) Krüger, 1917:66, type-species Bombus mastrucatus Gerstaecker (= Bombus wurflenii Radoszkowski) by monotypy
Bombus (Alpigenobombus) Frison, 1927:64
[Nobilibombus Skorikov, 1933a:62, published without fixation of type-species]
[Bombus (Nobilibombus) Bischoff, 1936:12, type-species Nobilibombus morawitziides Skorikov (= Bombus nobilis Friese) by monotypy, published as a junior synonym]
Alpigenibombus Skorikov, 1938a:145, unjustified emendation
[Pyrobombus (Nobilibombus) Milliron, 1961:54, type-species Bombus nobilis Friese (cited as Bombus nobilis Skorikov) by original designation, published as a junior synonym]
Bombus (Nobilibombus) Richards, 1968:216,222, type-species Bombus nobilis Friese by original designation (see Williams, 1991)
[Alpegenobombus Wang, 1979:188, incorrect subsequent spelling]

Part of the bumblebee phylogenetic tree including available Alpigenobombus species from an analysis of DNA sequence data for five genes (Cameron et al. 2007 [pdf]). Values above branches are Bayesian posterior probabilities, values below branches are parsimony bootstrap values.

Bombus (Ag.) genalis Friese
genalis Friese, 1918:84, examined
1 name

TAXONOMIC STATUS: From COI barcodes, B. genalis appears to be discrete and is likely to be separate species.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus (Ag.) angustus Chiu
angustus Chiu, 1948:59
1 name

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus (Ag.) grahami (Frison)
grahami (Frison, 1933:334 [Bremus]), examined
3 names

MORPHOLOGY: photos of male genitalia.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus (Ag.) breviceps Smith
nasutus Smith, 1852a:44, examined
breviceps Smith, 1852a:44, examined
dentatus Handlirsch, 1888:227
simulus Gribodo, 1892:114, examined
orichalceus Friese, 1916:107, examined
rufocognitus Cockerell, 1922:4, examined
pretiosus Bischoff, 1936:11, examined, not of Friese, 1911:571 (= B. polaris Curtis)
bischoffiellus (Tkalcu, 1977:224 [Alpigenobombus]) replacement name for pretiosus Bischoff, 1936:11
22 names

TAXONOMIC STATUS: Several of these nominal taxa have been treated as separate species. At least B. dentatus [Himalaya] may prove to be separate species (e.g. Tkalcu, 1968b, 1989). However, aside from differences in colour pattern, they are similar in morphology with a range of variation (Williams, 1991 [pdf]:67). Until more evidence to the contrary is available from critical studies of patterns of variation, I shall treat them as parts of a single variable species.

NOMENCLATURE: Tkalcu (1968b) first regarded B. nasutus and B. breviceps as likely to be conspecific and, following the Principle of First Reviser (ICZN, 1999: Article 24), chose B. breviceps as the name for the species.

MORPHOLOGY: photos of male genitalia.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus (Ag.) wurflenii Radoszkowski
Wurflenii Radoszkowski, 1860:482, examined
[Wurfleini Radoszkowski, 1877b:191, incorrect subsequent spelling]
mastrucatus Gerstaecker, 1869:326, examined
alpigenus Morawitz, 1874:132
29 names

MORPHOLOGY: photos of male genitalia.

DISTRIBUTION: Palaearctic Region.

Bombus (Ag.) kashmirensis Friese
kashmirensis Friese, 1909[September, Tkalcu, 1974b]:673, examined
stramineus Friese, 1909[September, Tkalcu, 1974b]:673
tetrachromus Cockerell, 1909[November, Tkalcu, 1974b]:397, examined
pulcherrimus (Skorikov, 1914a:128 [Alpigenobombus])
14 names

TAXONOMIC STATUS: Several of these nominal taxa have been treated as separate species. However, aside from differences in colour pattern, they are closely similar in morphology with a range of variation (Williams, 1991 [pdf]:68). Until more evidence to the contrary is available from critical studies of patterns of variation, I shall treat them as parts of a single variable species.

NOMENCLATURE: Tkalcu (1974b) first regarded B. kashmirensis and B. stramineus as conspecific and, following the Principle of First Reviser (ICZN, 1999: Article 24), chose B. kashmirensis as the name for the species.

MORPHOLOGY: photos of male genitalia.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region, Palaearctic border.

Bombus (Ag.) nobilis Friese
nobilis Friese, 1905:513
?sikkimi Friese, 1918:82, examined
[morawitziides Skorikov, [1923]:159, published without description]
[moravitziides Skorikov, 1931:203, published without description]
?morawitziides (Skorikov, 1933a:62 [Nobilibombus]) examined
?xizangensis Wang, 1979:188, examined
chayaensis Wang, 1979:189, examined
7 names

TAXONOMIC STATUS: Several of these nominal taxa have been treated as separate species.

The type specimens of B. nobilis have also been in some doubt (Richards, 1968). In the same publication as the description of B. validus, Friese (1905) described the female of B. nobilis as having a 'quadratisch' malar area and 4-5 teeth on the mandible (even though he placed it [p. 519] in a group with B. lapidarius). The original description lists several females (particularly from Sichuan), but the only putative type female that I have been able to examine (although it carries no Friese 'type' label) is in the Berlin museum collection and is a specimen of B. friseanus labelled 'Kashgar' (this locality is outside the known range of either B. nobilis or B. friseanus). The specimen does not match the original description of the mandibles of B. nobilis and so cannot be considered a valid syntype. Nonetheless, the identity of B. nobilis is clear from the original description, so the designation of a neotype is not justified (ICZN, 1999: Article 75).

B. chayaensis appears to me to be very closely similar to the yellow banded B. nobilis (in the strict sense) and I am unaware of any reason to treat them as separate species.

B. nobilis is interpreted here in the broadest sense, to include a complex of morphologically closely similar taxa (Williams, 1991 [pdf]). At least some of the taxa included may prove to be separate species from B. nobilis. The most obvious variation is in the colour of the pale thoracic bands, which may be yellow (B. nobilis), yellow-white (B. sikkimi), gey-white (B. morawitziides), or almost completely replaced by black (B. validus). However, aside from these differences in colour pattern, they are similar in morphology with a range of variation. Until more evidence to the contrary is available from critical studies of patterns of variation, I shall treat them as parts of a single variable species.

MORPHOLOGY: photos of male genitalia.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus (Ag.) validus Friese
validus Friese, 1905:510, examined
1 name

TAXONOMIC STATUS: Friese (1905) described B. validus initially (p. 510) as having a quadrate malar area and untoothed mandibles, but went on (p. 517) to place it within the mastrucatus (= B. wurflenii) group, which he characterised as having a short malar area and toothed mandibles. Tkalcu (1987) designated as lectotype of B. validus a female with a quadrate malar area and multi-toothed mandibles. He also synonymised B. morawitziides with B. validus. From COI barcodes, B. validus appears to be discrete and is likely to be separate species (An et al., 2014). More evidence is awaited.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.