The bumblebees of the Nepal Himalaya (Hymenoptera : Apidae)

Abstract

W ILLIAMS, P. H. , h o, M., M ATSUMURA, T. and K UDO, T., 20 10. The bumblebees of the Nepal Himalaya (Hymenoptera: Apidae). I ns. fIlatsum. n. s. 66: 1 [j- 151 , 36 figs, 3 tabs. Among 2,762 spec imens of bumblebees (genus Bombus) from Nepal, a total of 34 species is recorded. Bombus abnormis, B. branickii, B. grahami, B. personaflls, and B. presslis are recorded from Nepal for the first time. None of the species is endemic. A key to females, colour-pattern diagrams for females, and distribution maps are provided. Bumblebees in Nepal tend to have colour patterns of the thoracic dorsum that are black at low e levations, unbanded pale at mid elevations, and banded at high e levations, with the pale pal1s tending to become lighter at higher elevations. A western, an eastern, and a larger widespread fauna are described. Key words. Bumblebee, Bombus, taxonomy, di stribution, e levati on, a lti tude, pollinators. Nepal.