small round entirely black bumble bee...

[bonitin]

Hi
I have seen occasionally one or two in my garden about a month and a half ago, never managed to get a decent shot though, but I found exactly the same in the local nature park feeding on Viburnum flowers. Unfortunately only got one shot Their size is rather small for a bumble I would say about 10mm. In my garden it was feeding on Geranium and in the nature park besides the Viburnum also on Bramble flowers, so perhaps it is a short tongued one
This picture dates from 22nd May, Gent Belgium
Thanks!

[JRsbugs]

Hi bonitin!

The fat, rounded abdomen has the look of Anthophora plumipes, but the brown hairs on the legs are not visible. Of course you may have Anthophora retusa where the hind tibial spurs are yellowish brown.

Janet

[eucera]

.....or possibly even a worker of Bombus hypnorum (although the black workers always have a white tail (in my experience anyway)

[bonitin]

Thanks Janet !
The bodyshape certainly reminds of Anthophora plumipes and I've read on a Dutch site that there are brown and and nearly black varieties in the females in different collonies, the males are more greyish brown,
but then I saw a picture of Anthophora retusa on BWARS that looks exactly like mine also entirely black! Such a pity I didn't got a chance to take more pictures
There is too little information on my only picture to get a sure ID I realise!

Thanks Stuart, mine really didn't have anything white on the tail nor the one I saw in the garden, I remember looking for that intensionally when it was passing by..

[JRsbugs]

A. plumipes female is black, here at least. The male is brown with some black hairs on the tail.

I have uploaded a pic of a female I took last year, it shows the shape well. I tried to put this in the Gallery soon after joining but it was refused, there was only two pics there so even though it isn't the best quality it may have been useful.

[bonitin]

Yes that looks like mine, a pity indeed they didn't accept it for the Gallery because it has the information needed like the brown hairs on the legs...

[JRsbugs]

Yes I think it would help some with identification, they are very fast movers and to get a shot like that is not easy!