Bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of Remnant Grasslands in Arkansas

The bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: <i>Bombus</i>) of Arkansas, fifty years later

“…Although the species B. (T.) fervidus (Fabricius) has been reported as occurring in the state (Chandler & McCoy, 1965;Franklin, 1912;Warriner, 2011) we found no evidence of its presence in Arkansas. This is discussed further in the section on B. fervidus below.…”

“…Two specimens were collected in the northwest portion of the state (Franklin Co., October 5, 1976 andWashington Co., September 29, 1993); the other was collected in eastern Arkansas (Desha Co., August 7, 1966). Bombus variabilis was not recovered in our surveys or in Warriner's (2011) extensive Arkansas grassland surveys. With so few records, there is no suggestion of a change in the occurrence of B. variabilis between the historic (2.6%) and contemporary periods (0%, Fig.…”

“…Franklin (1912) reported B. fervidus as absent throughout "the greater part of Arkansas", but, lacking deposited specimens, its presence could not be confirmed by Chandler & McCoy (1965). Although B. fervidus has intermittently been reported in the state (Franklin, 1912;Warriner, 2011), and niche modeling suggests that the northwestern portion of the state could be marginally suitable for the species (Williams et al, 2014), its presence here is dubious. A recent survey of Bombus in remnant grasslands throughout the state reported B. fervidus in Boone and Franklin Counties in 2003 (Warriner, 2011), the first such sightings since it was reported 90 years prior (Franklin, 1912).…”

“…Although B. fervidus has intermittently been reported in the state (Franklin, 1912;Warriner, 2011), and niche modeling suggests that the northwestern portion of the state could be marginally suitable for the species (Williams et al, 2014), its presence here is dubious. A recent survey of Bombus in remnant grasslands throughout the state reported B. fervidus in Boone and Franklin Counties in 2003 (Warriner, 2011), the first such sightings since it was reported 90 years prior (Franklin, 1912). The Boone County specimen was the only state record of this species with a deposited voucher specimen.…”

“…Throughout North America, B. auricomus persists in less than 50% of its historic range, but its relative abundance appears unchanged . In Arkansas, the presence of B. auricomus in the extreme southwestern region of the state was not confirmed in recent surveys of the Blackland Prairie remnants, prompting some concern for its status in the region (Warriner, 2011). In the central portion of its range in Illinois, contemporary surveys show that B. auricomus is as widely distributed and abundant today as in the past (Grixti et al, 2009).…”