Common carder bumblebee  (Bombus pascuorum)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Authentication

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Glossary

  • Abdomen: in arthropods (crustaceans, insects and arachnids) the abdomen is the hind region of the body, which is usually segmented to a degree (but not visibly in most spiders). In crustacea (e.g. crabs) some of the limbs attach to the abdomen; in insects the limbs are attached to the thorax (the part of the body nearest to the head) and not the abdomen. In vertebrates the abdomen is the part of the body that contains the internal organs (except the heart and lungs).
  • Antennae: pair of sensory structures on the head of invertebrates.
  • Hibernate: hibernation is a winter survival strategy characteristic of some mammals in which an animal’s metabolic rate slows down and a state of deep sleep is attained. Whilst hibernating, animals survive on stored reserves of fat that they have accumulated in summer. In insects, the correct term for hibernation is ‘diapause’, a temporary pause in development and growth. Any stage of the lifecycle (eggs, larvae, pupae or adults) may enter diapause, which is typically associated with winter.
  • Larvae: stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
  • Pupae / Pupal: stage in an insect’s development when huge changes occur, which reorganise the larval form into the adult form. In butterflies the pupa is also called a chrysalis.
  • Thorax: part of the body located near the head in animals. In insects, the three segments between the head and the abdomen, each of which has a pair of legs.

References

  1. National Biodiversity Network Species Dictionary (September 2003): http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn/
  2. Prys-Jones, O. E. and Corbet, S. A. (1991) Bumblebees. Naturalists’ Handbooks 6, Richmond Publishing Co. Ltd., Slough.
  3. Zahradnik, J. & Severa, F. (1999) A field guide in colour to bees and wasps. 2nd Edition. Blitz Editions, Leicester.
  4. Free, J.B & Butler, C. G (1959) The New Naturalist: Bumblebees. Collins, London.
  5. NHM Distribution and decline of British bumblebees (March 2004): http://www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/bombus/decline.html
  6. Lynn Dicks (2004) Getting the Buzz. BBC Wildlife Magazine April 2004.
  7. English Nature (2003) Help save the bumblebee- get more buzz from your garden (October 2003): http://www.english-nature.org.uk/news/news_photo/savegardenbumblesweb.pdf
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