Bombus subterraneus
| Bombus subterraneus | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Bombus |
| Subgenus: | Subterraneobombus |
| Species: | B. subterraneus |
| Binomial name | |
| Bombus subterraneus (Linnaeus, 1758) [1] |
|
The short-haired bumblebee or short-haired humble-bee, Bombus subterraneus, is a species of bumblebee found in Eurasia, Southern Asia and Australia, as well as in New Zealand, where it is an introduced species.[1]
B. subterraneus was one of four species of bumblebee introduced into New Zealand from the United Kingdom between 1885 and 1906 for pollination of red clover. In New Zealand it is the rarest of the four species, with small numbers at a few locations in inland South Island. The last recorded sighting of B. subterraneus in the United Kingdom was in 1988 and it is believed extinct there.[2] A programme has been started to reintroduce it to the United Kingdom with queen bees from New Zealand. The programme is run by Natural England, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and bee and wasp charity Hymettus.[3][4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Bombus subterraneus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=715017.
- ^ Stewart, Lucy C.; Hale, Roddy, J. and Hale, Marie L. (2009). "Species-specific primers for the molecular identification of cryptic Bombus species in New Zealand". Conservation Genetics 11 (3): 1207. doi:10.1007/s10592-009-9920-2. http://www.springerlink.com/content/c1v96507577m16k0/.
- ^ Gibson, Eloise (2 June 2009). "British make beeline for South Island". New Zealand Herald. p. A5. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10575865. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
- ^ O'Connell, Sanjida (7 September 2009). "'Extinct' British subject repatriated after 100 years". New Scientist.
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