Bombus (Melanobombus) ladakhensis Richards

An, Jiandong, Huang, Jiaxing, Shao, Youquan, Zhang, Shiwen, Wang, Biao, Liu, Xinyu, Wu, Jie & Williams, Paul H., 2014, The bumblebees of North China (Apidae, Bombus Latreille), Zootaxa 3830 (1), pp. 1-89 : 73-74

73. Bombus (Melanobombus) ladakhensis Richards

( Figs 148, 149 )

Bombus (Lapidariobombus) rufofasciatus var. ladakhensis Richards, 1928:336 . Bombus (Lapidariobombus) rufofasciatus var. phariensis Richards, 1930:642 . Bombus variopictus Skorikov, 1933a:248 .

Bombus (Pratobombus) reticulatus Bischoff, 1936:7 .

Material examined. 26 workers (IAB).

Distribution in North China. Only on the edge of the northeast Qinghai-Tibetan plateau in Gansu. Common at high elevations of the Qilianshan nature reserve in Sunan. Rare at high elevations of the Qilianshan nature reserve in Tianzhu, the Zhagana nature reserve in Diebu, and the edge of east Qinghai-Tibetan plateau meadows in Hezuo. 7 localities ( Fig. 148 ) between 2524–4011 m (IAB).

Variation in North China. This species shows strong variation in the colour pattern of the hair across its global distribution ( Williams, 1991) but with much less variation within North China ( Fig. 149 ).

Similar species in North China. This species is often similar in its female white-banded colour pattern to B. kashmirensis (see the key; Figs 135 , 149 ).

Distribution in China. Sichuan, Yunnan, Xizang, Gansu, Qinghai (IAB).

Forage plants. ASTERACEAE : Saussurea purpurascens , S. stella ; LAMIACEAE : Caryopteris incana ; POLYGONACEAE : Polygonum macrophyllum ; SCROPHULARIACEAE : Pedicularis kansuensis .

Figures

FIGURES 148 – 149. 148. Map showing the distribution of B. ladakhensis in North China with records as black spots, the province boundaries in dark grey, and all sites with records of all bumblebee species in light grey. 149. B. ladakhensis male visiting Saussurea stella (Asteraceae) in Gansu (PW).

FIGURES 134 – 135. 134. Map showing the distribution of B. kashmirensis in North China with records as black spots, the province boundaries in dark grey, and all sites with records of all bumblebee species in light grey. 135. B. kashmirensis worker visiting Pedicularis kansuensis (Scrophulariaceae) in Gansu.