New locality records and additional information on the Bombus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) fauna of Turkey

Background. The article presents the results of the research on bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus) housed in the Lodos Entomological Museum (Ege University, Izmir, Turkey). Bumblebees play a key role in ecosystems as pollinators. However, these insects are under threat due to changes in land use and agricultural practices, habitat fragmentation and the effects of pesticides. There are 47 Bombus species occuring on the territory of Turkey. The aim of this study is to present new locality records of the material on the Bombus fauna of Turkey preserved in the Lodos Entomological Museum, Turkey. Materials and Methods. The objects of our research were bumblebees collected from different localities of Turkey between 1975 and 2016 and housed in the Lodos Entomological Museum. Insects were collected by researchers, students and amateurs. We used stereoscopic microscope MBS-2 and specialized keys for bumblebee identification. The classification of bumblebees follows P. H. Williams. Results. We analyzed 121 specimens of bumblebees that belong to six species (Bombus terrestris, B. argillaceus, B. hortorum, B. campestris, B. fragrans, B. ruderarius) and Bombus lucorum-complex (including two very similar species Bombus cryptarum and B. lucorum). The information on the specimens’ location and brief notes on the plants on which they were foraging is provided. Five of the analyzed species and Bombus lucorum-complex are listed in the category “Least Concern” of the IUCN Red List. Bombus fragrans is listed as “Endangered” and is under threat from the intensification of agriculture, habitat shifting and alteration, climate change (droughts, temperature extremes), besides this species is also subject to commercial collection. Conclusions. We found new locality records for three Bombus species: B. campestris recorded from Izmir for the first time, B. terrestris – from Kocaeli and B. hortorum from Antalya, Aydın, Eskişehir and Izmir provinces. Further studies aiming to improve the knowledge on Bombus fauna should focus on collecting in little-known areas and some specific habitats of Turkey.

Species diversity of wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in parks of Kyiv

Wild bee populations – important pollinators of many plants – are threatened with extinction due to reduced food resources, destruction of nesting sites and habitat fragmentation. The aim of this study is to determine the species diversity of wild bees in the parks of Kyiv. During the 2012-2017 spring-summer seasons a comprehensive study of the species composition and diversity of wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) was investigated. 115 wild bee species of 6 families and 34 genera have been found. Only 39 species among them were found in all parks and the common species are noted: Colletes cunicularius, Hylaeus communis, Andrena flavipes, Evylaeus calceatus, E. malachurus, E. politus, Anthophora plumipes, Bombus lucorum, B. terrestris, B. lapidarius, B. pascuorum. The proportions of species within each ecological group stay constant, except for the small decrease in oligolectic species. In all parks the ground-nesting bees are dominated. Bees that build nests in a different substrate (tree cavities, hollow plant stems, empties, holes, walls of buildings, and like) make up only 20 %. In general, on the territories of urban parks we have registered wild bees on the plants of more than 100 species from the families Asteraceaе, Fabaceaе, Lamiaceae, Rosaceaе. It should be noted, that ornamental flowering vegetation plays a significant role in wild bees nutrition in the city conditions. In some city parks we have found three species of wild bees that included in the Red Book of Ukraine: Bombus argillaceus, Xylocopa valga and Andrena chrysopus. The results of our study show that city parks are important for the conservation of wild bee populations, and the main conditions for this are the availability of flower sources and nesting sites.

Recognition and identification of species in the Bombus lucorum-complex - A review and outlook

The recognition of cryptic species represents one of the major challenges in current taxonomy and affects our understanding of global diversity. In practice, the process from discovery to acceptance in the scientific community can take an extensive length of time. A prime example is the traditionally difficult taxonomy of the cryptic bumblebee species belonging to the Bombus lucorum-complex. The status of the three European species in the group - Bombus lucorum and the closely related Bombus cryptarum and Bombus magnus - has recently become widely accepted, primarily due to investigations of nucleotide sequences and marking pheromones. In contrast, doubts prevail concerning the validity of species identification based on morphology. As a consequence, our knowledge of the species is muddled in a mire of unreliable and confusing literature data from a large number of authors over the centuries. To clarify this issue, this paper provides a recapitulation of the historical literature and highlights the milestones in the process of species recognition. Further, the possibility of a morphologically based species identification is discussed in the context of new molecular data. Finally, this review outlines the current challenges and provides directions for future issues.

Flower Preferences of the Wrocław Botanical Garden Bumblebees (Bombus spp.)

Bumblebees (Bombus spp.) are morphologically different from each other as determined by the length of their tongue. Seven species of bumblebees were identified in the Wrocław Botanical Garden: the long-tongued Bombus hortorum, and the medium-tongued B. pascuorum, and the 5 short-tongued species, Bombus hypnorum, Bombus lapidarius, Bombus terrestris, Bombus lucorum, and Bombus pratorum. Bumblebees were observed so that their choice of food within the botanical family could be determined. The shape and colour choice of the flower was particularly noted. Bumblebees showed the highest degree of preference for the Lamiaceae family. The Boraginaceae family was also used by all of the recorded species. Bumblebees found pink and purple, lipped, capitular/ globular, and saucer-shaped flowers to be most attractive. The individual species of bumblebees showed different preferences, which may be explained by the differences in their morphology. However, bumblebee flower preference and selection seems to be more complex and requires further, detailed research.