Catalogue of Bombus muscorum (Linnaeus, 1758) specimens (Hymenoptera, Apidae) deposited in the State Museum of Natural History NASU, Lviv, Ukraine

Abstract

Bombus muscorum (Linnaeus, 1758) belongs to the subgenus Thoracobombus and is one of the 40 bumblebee species that occur in Ukraine. This Palaearctic species has been found from Ireland in the west to Mongolia in the east, and from the latitude of Stockholm to Crete. It is generally uncommon to very uncommon in all its continental locations (Rasmont, Iserbyt, 2010–2012). It is very rare south of the latitude 40N. The species has not been observed in many of the locations of west, central and south-east Europe where it occurred one century ago, and considered to be threatened: vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of European Bees (Rasmont et al., 2015). B. muscorum is currently declining where its extinction is projected for the future. It is assumed to have a low dispersal capability. The species queens emerge in late spring, make nests on or under the ground surface and develop small colonies. In Ukraine B. muscorum has patchy distribution and inhabits grasslands in river valleys, water meadows, and wet meadows on the banks of lakes and ponds, rich in forbs containing floral resources, suitable for this species. The species is included into the Red Data Book of Ukraine as rare one. Recently its populations have significantly declined due to loss of natural habitats (Konovalova, 2010). In the entomological collection of the State Museum of Natural History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 57 specimens of B. muscorum have been deposited. Eight specimens belong to an old historical collection, made between the sixties of the 19-th century and 1939. All were collected in Lvivska and Ternopilska provinces of Ukraine. Judging by the writing style on labels, four of them with high probability were collected by A. Wierzejski, and the remaining four – by J. Snieżek. The recent part of the collection includes specimens, found from 1998 to 2006 in Lvivska, Ternopilska, Volynska, Mykolaivska and Khersonska provinces of Ukraine (fig. 1), and in France (1 spec.). The collection represents the following physiographic regions: FZB: ROp: Roztochchia; FZB: ROp: Opillia; FZB: West Podillia Upland; FZM: Volynske Polissia; SZ: SZN: DnDpL: South Dnipro Upland; SZ: SZS: CBAzL: Syvash-Azov Lowland. The bumblebee specimens were collected by the collectors as follows: O. Holovachov, I. Konovalova, V. Rizun, O. Vovk.