''Bombus mesomelas'' (also called black-backed bumblebee) is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
bumblebee
A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...
s.
Description
Range
The nominate form lives in the
Cantabrian Mountains, in the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
, the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
, the
Apennines
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...
, in the
Giant Mountains
The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif ...
and in the
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
, less often in the Central European Central Mountains. The subspecies ''Bombus mesomelas alboluteus'' VOGT, 1909 is disjointly distributed with a western population in the mountains of the
Balkan
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
Peninsula and an eastern one in the
East Anatolian highlands, the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
up to the
Elburs. Lost in Germany, proven from Thuringia, Saxony and Bavaria (last find 1956). In
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, with the exception of
Burgenland, reported from all federal states. In
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
in the entire Alpine region and the Jura, historically also from the northern Alpine foothills.
Habitat
The species is found on sunny mountain slopes.
It favours dry and warm locations in the middle and high mountains. From the montane to the alpine altitude, in Central Europe already from 600 m.
Ecology
The species is
univoltine. The overwintered females appear around the end of May, young females and males from the end of August.
''Bombus mesomelas'' is a polylectic species. It nests mainly underground in abandoned mouse kettles, then nest-maker, but seldom also in the herb layer, then nest-builder. The species is a Pocketmaker.
The colonies comprise 50 to 120 individuals.
Etymology
From the Greek "meso" = "middle "and "mela " = "black"; because of the transverse band of black hair between the wings.
Taxonomy
Subgenus
Thoracobombus DALLA TORRE, 1880.
In Central Europe in the subspecies ''Bombus mesomelas mesomelas'' GERSTAECKER, 1869 occurs.
Synonyms: ''Megabombus mesomelas'' (GERSTAECKER, 1869); ''Bombus elegans mesomelas'' (GERSTAECKER, 1869); ''Bombus pomorum var.mesomelas'' (GERSTAECKER, 1869).
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1941106
Bumblebees
Insects described in 1869
Apidae