Bombus (Alpigenobombus) validus Friese

An, Jiandong, Huang, Jiaxing, Shao, Youquan, Zhang, Shiwen, Wang, Biao, Liu, Xinyu, Wu, Jie & Williams, Paul H., 2014, The bumblebees of North China (Apidae, Bombus Latreille), Zootaxa 3830 (1), pp. 1-89 : 68

67. Bombus (Alpigenobombus) validus Friese

( Figs 136, 137 )

Bombus validus Friese, 1905:510 .

Taxonomy. Analysis of COI barcodes for the subgenus Alpigenobombus shows B. validus to be a species separate from B. nobilis , contrary to the interpretations of Williams et al. (2009) and An et al. (2011), which were based solely on morphology.

Material examined. 99 workers, 5 males (IAB).

Distribution in North China. Only on the edge of the east Qinghai-Tibetan plateau in Gansu. Abundant at medium to high elevations of the Qilianshan nature reserve in Tianzhu, common at medium elevatons of the Liancheng nature reserve in Yongdeng, and rare at high elevations of the Zhagana nature reserve in Diebu. 11 localities ( Fig. 136 ) between 2196–3524 m (IAB).

Similar species in North China. This species is often similar in its white-banded colour pattern to B. pyrosoma (see the key; Figs 137 , 147 ).

Distribution in China. Yunnan, Xizang, Gansu (IAB).

Forage plants. ASTERACEAE : Carduus acanthoides , Ligularia przewalskii , Ligularia sp., Parasenecio roborowskii , Saussurea sp.; FABACEAE : Oxytropis kansuensis , O. ochrocephala ; ONAGRACEAE : Chamerion angustifolium ; RANUNCULACEAE : Aconitum flavum ; SCROPHULARIACEAE : Pedicularis kansuensis .

Figures

FIGURES 136 – 137. 136. Map showing the distribution of B. validus in North China with records as black spots, the province boundaries in dark grey, and all sites with records of all bumblebee species in light grey. 137. B. validus worker visiting Ligularia sp. (Asteraceae) in Gansu.

FIGURES 146 – 147. 146. Map showing the distributions of B. pyrosoma in North China with record in black spots, the province boundaries in dark grey, and all sites with records of all bumblebee species in light grey. 147. Bombus (Melanobombus) pyrosoma worker visiting Vicia unijuga (Fabaceae) in Beijing.