Bombus ephippiatus

{{Short description|Species of bee}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = B. ephippiatus in hand.jpg

| image_caption =

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref =

| genus = Bombus

| parent = Bombus (Pyrobombus)

| species = ephippiatus

| authority = Say, 1837

| synonyms =

Bombus folsomi Frison, 1923

Bombus formosus Smith, 1854

Bombus lateralis Smith, 1879

Bombus pulcher Cresson, 1863

Bombus schneideri Friese, 1903

Bombus vauflavus Cockerell, 1949

}}

Bombus ephippiatus is a species of bumblebee native to Mexico and Central America.Duennes, MD & Vandame, R.V. 2015. [http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/21215149/0 Bombus ephippiatus.] The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 04 March 2016.

This is a variable species. There are a number of color polymorphisms, with body hairs in shades of white, yellow, orange, red, brown, and black.Duennes, M. A., et al. (2012). [http://www.life.illinois.edu/scameron/pdfs/Duennes_et_al_2012.pdf Geographical patterns of genetic divergence in the widespread Mesoamerican bumble bee Bombus ephippiatus (Hymenoptera: Apidae).] Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 64, 219-231. Its species boundaries are not entirely clear. Some forms are similar to Bombus wilmattae, which may actually be the same species. There may also be some similar specimens in the area that are an as yet undescribed species.

This bee feeds on many kinds of flowers. It is active year-round in some areas. It generally occupies pine-oak forest and other kinds of mountain forest habitat. Its restriction to high-elevation regions may have produced physical isolation that led to its many color polymorphisms.

It is an efficient pollinator of tomato plants.Torres-Ruiz, A., & Jones, R. W. (2012). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23356048 Comparison of the efficiency of the bumble bees Bombus impatiens and Bombus ephippiatus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as pollinators of tomato in greenhouses.] Journal of Economic Entomology, 105(6), 1871-1877. The overcollection of queens from the wild for use in agricultural operations is a potential threat to the species.