Bombus mckayi Ashmead, 1902
Properties
Scientific Name: Bombus mckayi Ashmead, 1902
Common Name: McKay s Bumble Bee
Taxonomy
Bombus mckayi Ashmead, 1902: 125 [♀].
Holotype ♀. USA, Alaska, Nushagak River, by Chas. W. McKay [USNM no. 5719].
Taxonomic Notes: The ♂ has not been formally descirbed.
This species was placed into synonymy under B. occidentalis Greene by Bequaert (1920: 293) and was considered as such until Williams et al. (2012), and later Sheffield et al. (2016) recognized it as a valid northern subspecies, the latter study detailing its range and colour patterns versus its southern conspecific. Williams (2021) later recognized it as a distinct species.
Rohde et al. (2024) incorrectly attributed this species to Williams.
References
Ashmead WH (1902) Papers from the Harriman Alaska Expedition. XXVIII. Hymenoptera. Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Sciences 4: 117-274.https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.18572
Williams PH (2021) Not just cryptic, but a barcode bush: PTP reanalysis of global data for the bumblebee subgenus Bombus s. str. supports additional species (Apidae, genus Bombus). Journal of Natural History 55(5-6): 271-282. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1900444
Sheffield CS, Richardson L, Cannings S, Ngo H, Heron J, Williams PH (2016) Biogeography and designatable units of Bombus occidentalis Greene and B. terricola Kirby (Hymenoptera: Apidae) with implications for conservation status assessments. Journal of Insect Conservation. 20: 189-199.
Williams PH, Brown MJF, Carolan JC, An J-D, Goulson D, Aytekin AM, Best LR, Byvaltsev AM, Cederberg B, Dawson R, Huang J, Ito M, Monfared A, Raina RH, Schmid-Hempel P, Sheffield CS, Šima P, Xie Z (2012) Unveiling cryptic species of the bumblebee subgenus Bombus s. str. world-wide with COI barcodes (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Systematics and Biodiversity 10(1): 21-56.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2012.664574
Bequaert J (1920) Bees and wasps. The Ohio Journal of Science 20(7): 292-297.
Sociality: Eusocial
Nesting: Ground
Pollen Specialization: Polylectic
Wintering Stage: Mated Female
Crop Preference: Not Available
Non Crop Preference: Not Available
Distribution: Alaska, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Yukon
Ecozone: Boreal Cordillera, Taiga Cordillera