Bumblebee - Bombus vosnesenskii

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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees » Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees (Apidae) » Honey, Bumble, Longhorn, Orchid, and Digger Bees (Apinae) » Bumble Bees (Bombini) » Bumble Bees (Bombus) » Subgenus Pyrobombus (Bombus Subgenus Pyrobombus) » Yellow-faced Bumble Bee (Bombus vosnesenskii)

Photo#845499

Copyright © 2013 Ann and Rob Simpson

Bumblebee - Bombus vosnesenskii -

Crane Flat, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
July 10, 2013

This bumblebee appears to be a model for two day flying moths that were flying with it - the Sierra Pericopid, Gnophaela latipennis and the Golden-shouldered Ctenucha, C. multifaria luteoscapus. The wings and the body of the moths even had an iridescent bluish sheen like the bumblebee wings. Does anyone know if the moths are poisonous to eat which would give further mimicry protection to both species? There was a very large stand of California Coneflower, Rudbeckia californica and Horsemint, Agastache urticifolia which the moths and bumblebees were heavily visiting. I will post the moths to show the similarity.

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Contributed by Ann and Rob Simpson on 22 September, 2013 - 8:40am
Last updated 22 July, 2018 - 12:07pm

There was no need to delete the moths...

All you needed to do was post them separately and then reference them in the Remarks section of this post. See an example here.

… Ken Wolgemuth, 22 September, 2013 - 8:59pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… John S. Ascher, 22 September, 2013 - 6:20pm

Linking...

...is reserved for images of the same individual.

If you'd like to relate the moths to the bee, you should place thumbnails in the "Remarks" section of your post. If you need assistance in doing that, just let me know.

Thanks.

… Ken Wolgemuth, 22 September, 2013 - 9:24am

Thanks Ken

Thanks for the explanation and it certainly makes sense. I think it would be good to link the moths to the Bombus. I would like to know if this is a known example of batesian or mullerian mimicry or even if other people have observed the association of the two day flying moths with Bombus vosnesenskii or any other Bombus. Hopefully linking could start a dialogue. Thanks again

… Ann and Rob Simpson, 23 September, 2013 - 2:39pm

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