Morphometric studies of subgenus Megabombus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from Jammu and Kashmir, India

Authors

  • Aejaz H. Parrey
     Desert Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, New Pali Road, Jodhpur – 342005, Rajasthan
  • Rifat H. Raina
     Desert Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, New Pali Road, Jodhpur – 342005, Rajasthan
  • Sajad A. Khan
     Department of Zoology, School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, BGSB University, Rajouri – 185234, Jammu and Kashmir
  • Manzoor A. Paray
     Division of Entomology, SKUAST- K, Srinagar – 190025, Jammu and Kashmir
  • Preeti Choudhary
     Desert Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, New Pali Road, Jodhpur – 342005, Rajasthan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v123/i3/2023/169838

Keywords:

Caste, Hymenoptera, India, Megabombus, Morphometrics, Subgenus

Abstract

The subgenus Megabombus comprises remarkably long-tongued species of bumblebees and remains usually more specialized in their selection of diversity of floral plants than other bumblebees for pollen and nectar resources. The subgenus Megabombus is described by only a single species from the North West Himalayan belt viz., Bombus albopleuralis Smith. This species is mostly familiar to exist at low highland habitats in the Indian Himalayan region with a long seasonal activity and is widely spread throughout North West and eastern Indian Himalayan region. The different caste members of this species viz., Queen, worker and male were recorded from different selected sites in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. A total of sixteen morphological characters of Bombus albopleuralis were studied and later on, measured to find out the variations in different castes of Bombus albopleuralis and subsequently help in the identification of their different castes.

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Published

2024-02-08

How to Cite

Parrey, A. H., Raina, R. H., Khan, S. A., Paray, M. A., & Choudhary, P. (2024). Morphometric studies of subgenus <I>Megabombus</I> (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from Jammu and Kashmir, India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 123(3), 275–282. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v123/i3/2023/169838

Issue

Volume 123, Issue 3, 2023

Section

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