Four-colored cuckoo bumblebee
| Four-colored cuckoo bumblebee | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Four-colored cuckoo bumblebee ( Bombus quadricolor ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Bombus quadricolor | ||||||||||||
| Lepeletier , 1832 |
The Four-color psithyrus ( Bombus quadricolor ) is a type of parasitic living psithyrus . It parasitizes mainly in the light earth bumblebee ( Bombus lucorum ), but also in the thistle bumblebee ( Bombus soroeensis ). It is common in large parts of Europe .
features
The four-colored cuckoo bumblebee is similar in appearance to the light earth bumblebee. The females are between 23 and 25 millimeters long, the males called drones reach a length of around 15 to 18 millimeters. The wingspan of the females is around 36 to 44 millimeters, that of the males around 28 to 34 millimeters. The species has a rounded head and a short trunk. In contrast to the light earth bumblebee, the wings are darker and the light transverse band is missing on the second tergite . The head band extends about one and a half to two millimeters below the base of the wing.
Way of life
The polylectic males of the four-colored cuckoo bumblebee mostly feed on broad beans , knapweeds , scabiosis , thistles and other daisy plants . The females, on the other hand, prefer dandelions . The species is univoltin , i.e. H. there is only one generation in a year. The overwintered females appear between mid-April and mid-August, the fresh females together with the males from mid-July to the end of September.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c H.-J. Martin: Four-colored cuckoo bumblebee: Bombus quadricolor . In: www.wildbienen.de . ( wildbienen.de [accessed on October 21, 2007]).
- ↑ Dr Andrew Polaszek: Bombus quadricolor . In: Fauna Europaea version 1.1 . ( fauna-eu.org [accessed October 21, 2007]).