Bombus Lucorum?

pammosley · #1 (**permalink**) 01-09-2010, 08:02 PM

Hi folks, is this Bombus lucorum?
Thanks for taking the time to look

Matt Smith · #2 (**permalink**) 01-09-2010, 08:34 PM

Looks good to me.

eucera · #3 (**permalink**) 01-09-2010, 08:46 PM

yes... but more correctly I suppose we should call it Bombus lucorum agg. There is no morphological way of separating B. lucorum ss from B. magnus and B. cryptarum with any confidence at all.

pammosley · #4 (**permalink**) 01-09-2010, 09:06 PM

Thanks for the reply & info folks. I read that there were 2 close sub-species, but I am happy to know that it`s Lucorum sp.

eucera · #5 (**permalink**) 02-09-2010, 02:43 PM

Basically, what appears to have been generally regarded as B. lucorum, has recently been recognised by the use of genetic barcoding to be at least 3 closely related species (not sub-species). The 3 are: B. lucorum (in the strict sense), B. magnus and B. cryptarum. It is possible that other cryptic species may well lurk within the group but further genetic study is essential from across the entire known range of B. lucorum (in the broad sense)