Bombus melanopygus: taxon details and analytics
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera
- Family
- Apidae
- Genus
- Bombus
- Species
- Bombus melanopygus
- Scientific Name
- Bombus melanopygus
Summary description from Wikipedia:
Bombus melanopygus
Bombus melanopygus, the black-tailed bumble bee, black tail bumble bee or orange-rumped bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee native to western North America.
This bee is widely distributed across western North America, from the Pacific to the Rocky Mountains, and from Alaska to Baja California.
There are two forms of the black-tailed bumblebee:
- Red form (“red butts,” Bombus melanopygus melanopygus) found primarily in higher latitudes of Oregon and points north, and in the Mountain West
- Dark color form (Bombus melanopygus edwardsii) is most common in California and southern Oregon
(The second and third abdominal segments are red in northern populations and black in southern; individuals with black segments were previously known as Bombus edwardsii, a separate species. Genetic analyses support the conclusion that the two forms are the same species, with B. edwardsii as a synonym.)
This bumblebee can utilize a number of habitat types, including agricultural and urban areas. It is "one of the few bumblebees still found regularly in San Francisco". It feeds on many types of plants, including manzanitas, Ceanothus, goldenbushes, wild buckwheats, lupines, penstemons, rhododendrons, willows, sages, and clovers. It nests underground or aboveground in structures.
This species is a host to the zombie fly (Apocephalus borealis).
...Bombus melanopygus in languages:
- English
- Black-tailed Bumblebee
- English
- Orange-rumped Bumblebee
- English
- Black-tailed Bumble Bee
- English
- Orange-rumped Bumble Bee
Images from inaturalist.org observations:
We recommend you sign up for this excellent, free service.
Parent Taxon
Sibling Taxa
- Bombus abnormis
- Bombus ardens
- Bombus beaticola
- Bombus bifarius
- Bombus bimaculatus
- Bombus biroi
- Bombus brodmannicus
- Bombus caliginosus
- Bombus centralis
- Bombus cingulatus
- Bombus cockerelli
- Bombus ephippiatus
- Bombus flavescens
- Bombus flavifrons
- Bombus frigidus
- Bombus glacialis
- Bombus haematurus
- Bombus huntii
- Bombus hypnorum
- Bombus impatiens
- Bombus infirmus
- Bombus johanseni
- Bombus jonellus
- Bombus lapponicus
- Bombus lemniscatus
- Bombus lepidus
- Bombus luteipes
- Bombus melanopygus
- Bombus mirus
- Bombus mixtus
- Bombus modestus
- Bombus monticola
- Bombus oceanicus
- Bombus parthenius
- Bombus perplexus
- Bombus picipes
- Bombus pratorum
- Bombus pressus
- Bombus pyrenaeus
- Bombus rotundiceps
- Bombus sandersoni
- Bombus sitkensis
- Bombus sonani
- Bombus subtypicus
- Bombus sylvicola
- Bombus ternarius
- Bombus vagans
- Bombus vandykei
- Bombus vosnesenskii
- Bombus wilmattae
Top Observation Places
- Anchorage
- Abbotsford
- Livermore
- Chilliwack
- Corvallis
- Roseville
- Citrus Heights
- Folsom
- Ventura
- Olympia
- Eugene
- Sacramento
- Arden-Arcade
- Rancho Cordova
- Carmichael
- West Sacramento
- Bellingham
- Salem
- Davis
- Santa Ana
- Irvine
- Garden Grove
- Orange
- Costa Mesa
- Mission Viejo
- Lake Forest
- Tustin
- Laguna Niguel
- Fountain Valley
- Aliso Viejo
- Los Angeles
- Glendale
- Hollywood
- Torrance
- Pasadena
- Van Nuys
- Thousand Oaks
- Simi Valley
- East Los Angeles
- Koreatown
- Downey
- Inglewood
- Burbank
- Universal City
- Compton
- South Gate
- Carson
- Santa Monica
- Boyle Heights
- Hawthorne































































































































































