Abstract
We identified mermithid nematodes infecting a post-hibernating Japanese bumblebee (Bombus pseudobaicalensis Vogt) queen in Nemuro, Hokkaido, Japan. The infected queen did not lay eggs or feed on pollen during laboratory rearing. In addition, the queen usually crawled under the straw set in the rearing box, which differed from the typical behavior of a normal queen. Intra-abdominal observation revealed that, compared with the ovaries of a normal queen, those of the infected queen were undeveloped. Infection by mermithid nematodes may result in the sterilization of the bumblebee queen. The molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that the mermithid species infecting the Japanese bumblebee queen differed from the Pheromermis species reported as a parasite of Hymenopteran insects, and that they were closely related to mermithid nematodes found in spiders and Ovomermis sinensis Chen, a parasite of the tobacco budworm larva Helicoverpa armigera Hubner. These findings constitute the first report of mermithid nematodes infecting Japanese bumblebee.
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