Paulista Bumble Bee
Bombus pauloensis
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Insects
Bombus pauloensis is a neotropical bumblebee, formerly known as Bombus atratus, that is found throughout regions of South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. It lives in social colonies that include a founder queen/queens, workers and brood. B. pauloensis is somewhat unusual because of its potential to oscillate between polygynous and monogynous nesting cycles. Bombus pauloensis was the first species in the genus Bombus that was discovered to display such polygynous nesting patterns. The polygynous nesting cycles lead to certain specific types of behavior including queen-queen aggression. Nests can also be perennial, which is a characteristic rarely found in other bumblebees.
Classification
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera
- Family
- Apidae
- Genus
- Bombus