Black-and-gold Bumble Bee

Bombus auricomus

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Apinae
Tribe: Bombini
Genus: Bombus
Species: auricomus

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Bombus auricomus: //ˈbɑm.bəs ɔːˈriː.kə.məs//

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Images

Bombus (Bombias) auricomus by the Smithsonian. Used under a CC0 license.

Summary

Bombus auricomus, or the black and gold bumblebee, is a species native to eastern North America and known for its size and varied hair color. Its distribution is primarily east of the Rocky Mountains, and it plays an important role in pollination.

Physical Characteristics

Large: queen 20-25 mm, male 17-20 mm, worker 18-20 mm; variable hair color with dark females and pale variants.

Identification Tips

Males have large eyes strongly convergent above and modified antennae. Dark females may be confused with B. pensylvanicus and pale ones with B. nevadensis.

Habitat

Favors prairies and grasslands; creates above-ground nests in open habitat types.

Distribution

Widely distributed in the eastern USA east of the Rocky Mountains, absent from northern New England (ME, VT, RI) and lowlands of the southeastern coastal plain. Known from southern Ontario in Canada.

Diet

Feeds on many types of plants, including thistles, prairie clovers, delphiniums, teasels, echinacea, bergamot, penstemons, clovers, and vetches.

Conservation Status

Has likely declined in northeastern North America due to regrowth of forests and decrease in grassland habitat.

Evolution

Previously thought to be conspecific with B. nevadensis but now recognized as a separate species.