Bombus pyrenaeus (Pérez, 1879), Perez, 1879

Ornosa, Concepción, Torres, Félix & Rúa, Pilar De La, 2017, Updated list of bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from the Spanish Pyrenees with notes on their decline and conservation status, Zootaxa 4237 (1), pp. 41-77 : 59

Bombus pyrenaeus (Pérez, 1879)

Mountain species that occurs in alpine meadows, subalpine pastures and mountain forests. It is distributed in the Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathians, Tatra and Balkan mountains. The species is not considered threatened but Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of European Bees (Rasmont et al. 2015). The Pyrenean old records were not abundant (20 individuals) ( Table 2 ), perhaps by misidentification or confusion with B. pratorum .

The nominal subspecies is endemic to the Pyrenees, and it was located between 1400 and 2400 m of altitude ( Delmas 1976, Rasmont 1988, Ornosa & Ortiz-Sánchez 2004). It has now been collected in forest pastures, with patches of subalpine and supraforestal scrubland, between 1451 and 2300 m ( Fig. 7 ), on Centaurea scabiosa L., Cirsium acaule (L.) Scop., Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., Cynoglossum officinale F., Lotus corniculatus L., Origanum vulgare L., Onobrichis vicifolia Scop., Rhododendron ferrugineus L., Trifolium alpinum L., Trifolium pratense L. and Trifolium repens L.

According to the current data, this species is not regarded to be declining and threatened ( Table 2 ).

New records. Andorra: Soldeu, 28- VII-2006, 1 worker, C. Ornosa leg., UCME.

Spain: Girona : Camprodón, ski resort, 23- VII-2009, 1 male, 3 workers; 8 - VII-2015, 1 queen, 3 workers; C. Ornosa leg., UCME; Nùria, Bosc de la Verge, 24- VII-2009, 3 workers; 2 queen, 3 workers; C. Ornosa leg., UCME; Nùria, Pic de l´Àliga, 24- VII-2009, 1 worker; 10- VII-2015, 6 workers; C. Ornosa leg., UCME. Huesca : Ordesa, Gradas de Soaso, 4- VII-2006, 2 males, C. Ornosa leg., UCME ; San Nicolás de Bujaruelo , 9- VIII-2014, 2 workers, P. De la Rúa leg., UMU; Vallibierna, 15 - VII-2011, 1 worker, C. Ornosa leg., UCME. Lleida : San Nicolás chapel- Estany Llebrera, 9- VII-2014, 1 male, C. Ornosa leg., UCME ; Estany Llong , 9-VII- 2 014, 1 worker, F. Torres leg., UCME ; Estany Sant Maurici , 8- VII-2014, 1 worker; C. Ornosa leg., UCME ; Estany Ratera – Mirador track, 26- VII-2006, 2 males, C. Ornosa leg., UCME ; La Bonaigua pass, 27- VII-2006, 1 worker, C. Ornosa leg., UCME ; Aigüestortes threshold, 26- VII-2006, 1 worker, C. Ornosa leg., UCME .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Distribution (in meters) range of the bumblebee species and subspecies observed in contemporary samplings (grey rectangles) in the Pyrenees compared with the known altitude distribution (black bars) from historical data.