Bombus simillimus Smith, 1852

Williams, Paul H., Altanchimeg, Dorjsuren, Byvaltsev, Alexandr, Jonghe, Roland De, Jaffar, Saleem, Japoshvili, George, Kahono, Sih, Liang, Huan, Mei, Maurizio, Monfared, Alireza, Nidup, Tshering, Raina, Rifat, Ren, Zongxin, Thanoosing, Chawatat, Zhao, Yanhui & Orr, Michael C., 2020, Widespread polytypic species or complexes of local species? Revising bumblebees of the subgenus Melanobombus world-wide (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus), European Journal of Taxonomy 719, pp. 1-120 : 51-52

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2020.719.1107

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A4500016-C219-4353-B81C-5E0BB520547F

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/252087CA-1F70-950A-FDDD-FB79D845FA04

treatment provided by

Valdenar

scientific name

Bombus simillimus Smith, 1852
status

 

Bombus simillimus Smith, 1852 View in CoL

Figs 2 View Figs 1‒6 , 13 View Figs 12‒13 , 46–49 View Figs 25–63 , 184 View Figs 181‒189

Bombus simillimis Smith, 1852a: 48 View in CoL .

Bremus oculatus Frison, 1933: 335 View in CoL .

Sibiricobombus tonsus Skorikov, 1933a: 248 View in CoL ( Skorikov 1923, 1931: published without description). Bombus oculatus View in CoL var. [subsp.] haemorrhous Richards, 1934: 87.

Bombus similis View in CoL – Smith 1854: 403, incorrect subsequent spelling.

Bombus simillimus View in CoL – von Dalla Torre 1896: 548, justified emendation.

Our PTP analysis ( Fig. 10 View Fig ) of coalescents in the COI gene within the rufofasciatus -group supports nine species including B. simillimus , corroborated by differences in morphology (see the Diagnosis).

Females show pronounced size-dependent dimorphism in the colour pattern of the hair: large queens have the thorax and T1–2 black (taxon simillimus s. str.); whereas workers (which are smaller) have the thorax grey-white and T1–2 dark chocolate brown ( Fig. 2 View Figs 1‒6 : taxon haemorrhous). Males have the thoracic dorsum and often T1–2 grey-white (taxon oculatus ). Unsurprisingly, the queens, workers, and males were first described as separate species. That these castes and sexes are conspecific has been confirmed from examining variation within one colony excavated in Kashmir ( Williams 1991). The male is distinctive for its unusually large eyes ( Frison 1933; Williams 1991).

Diagnosis

Females

Queens large body length 25–27 mm, workers 12–17 mm. Can be distinguished by the combination of the hair of the thoracic dorsum either entirely black (queen) or entirely white (worker: Fig. 2 View Figs 1‒6 ) with the wings dark brown (cf. B. lapidarius , B. eriophorus , B. pyrosoma ).

Males

Body length 16–18 mm. Can be distinguished by the combination of the hair of the thoracic dorsum entirely white with the wings dark brown, similarly coloured to the worker, but the hair of T1 and usually T2 is white; hair of T3 almost entirely black and without a yellow posterior fringe (cf. other rufofasciatus -group species except B. richardsiellus ). Genitalia ( Fig. 184 View Figs 181‒189 ) with the gonostylus robust, about half as long on its outer side as broad, with the distal edge concave and the inner distal corner and the inner proximal corner both broad and nearly 90° (cf. all other Melanobombus ); volsella with the inner distal corner broadly rounded and without a narrow hook ( cf. festivus -group, other rufofasciatus - group); antenna short and eye strongly enlarged relative to female eye.

Material examined

Lectotype

INDIA • ♀ (queen), lectotype Bombus simillimus Smith, 1852 by designation of Williams (1991); “N.[orth]”; NHMUK (examined PW).

Material sequenced (5 specimens)

INDIA • 4 ♀♀ (workers); Kashmir ; 34.16° N, 74.90° E; Sep. 1980; P. Williams leg.; NHMUK seq: NHMPW17 to NHMPW20; PW: ML182 , ML314 to ML316 GoogleMaps 1 ♂; Himachal Pradesh, Jalori pass; 31.5370° N, 77.3729° E; 10 Sep. 2004; R. Raina leg.; BOLD seq: 6877B09; RR: ML384 GoogleMaps .

Global distribution

(West Himalayan mountain species) Himalaya: PAKISTAN, INDIA: Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal. (IOZ, NHMUK, PW, ZIN, ZMHB.) The species is narrowly distributed but locally common and not rare in collections.

Behaviour

A colony of this species has been described from underground in a deciduous forest at 1700 m a.s.l. in Kashmir ( Williams 1991). Food-plant generalists ( Williams 1991). The male mate-searching behaviour is expected to resemble the territoriality of B. rufofasciatus ( Williams 1991) .

NHMUK

Natural History Museum, London

PW

Paleontological Collections

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Apidae

Genus

Bombus

Loc

Bombus simillimus Smith, 1852

Williams, Paul H., Altanchimeg, Dorjsuren, Byvaltsev, Alexandr, Jonghe, Roland De, Jaffar, Saleem, Japoshvili, George, Kahono, Sih, Liang, Huan, Mei, Maurizio, Monfared, Alireza, Nidup, Tshering, Raina, Rifat, Ren, Zongxin, Thanoosing, Chawatat, Zhao, Yanhui & Orr, Michael C. 2020
2020
Loc

Bremus oculatus

Frison T. H. 1933: 335
1933
Loc

Sibiricobombus tonsus

Richards O. W. 1934: 87
Skorikov A. S. 1933: 248
1933
Loc

Bombus simillimus

von Dalla Torre K. W. 1896: 548
1896
Loc

Bombus similis

Smith F. 1854: 403
1854
Loc

Bombus simillimis

Smith F. 1852: 48
1852
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