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>> > There was a number of small skippers flying too but never allo --_c0092b7e-f638-4428-bd0a-1356e0ec0542_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Steve: Yes=2C that is the feature that separates the two. I like to think of it as= an arrow leading from the black thorax patch towards the abdomen. The same= arrow identifies Bombus impatiens by the way=2C along with the number of t= ergites covered by pile but the latter can be ambiguous. Where are the bristletails found at HH? Both East or West? =20 Cheers=2C Angus =20 > Date: Thu=2C 22 Aug 2013 14:56:09 -0300 > From: srshaw@Dal.Ca > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: RE: [NatureNS] bumblebee identity >=20 > Hi Angus=2C > Thanks for narrowing the bumblebee search to Bombus ternarius and B.=20 > rufocinctus. >=20 > On the way to Hall's Harbour yesterday=2C we stopped in at the Mt=20 > Uniacke House grounds briefly for me to check for diagnostic thoracic=20 > markings you had indicated=2C and I later checked on BugGuide.net to=20 > clarify what you meant by the difference. From the images there=2C the=20 > buff band of hairs over the prothoracic area is similar in both=20 > species and did not look to be readily diagnostic. In B. rufocinctus=2C=20 > the central patch on the dorsal mesothorax is black=2C while the buff=20 > hairs behind this zone (over the metathorax) form a more or less=20 > continuous band across the metathorax. In B. ternarius=2C the black=20 > zone is similar=2C but a strip of black continues back through the=20 > mid-dorsal metathoracic zone=2C so that there appear to be two lateral=20 > buff zones at the back of the thorax=2C not one=2C now separated by a=20 > central black line. Do the differences in pattern just described agree=20 > with your views? >=20 > All four bumblebees that I examined clearly conformed to the latter=20 > description=2C and so identified themselves as B. ternarius=2C which you= =20 > indicated is much more common locally in your experience. Regarding=20 > my earlier description as 'small'=2C the four I measured roughly with a=20 > ruler were 11-13 mm long=2C but the bees in the wild visiting the=20 > knapweed bend at both ends and so look a bit smaller still. There=20 > were a lot of these flying again yesterday in the sunshine around 2=20 > PM=2C along with several Virginia Ctenucas (red thoracic zone rather=20 > than the yellow of Jeannie's similar moth=2C identified just now by Bev). >=20 > For those interested in bristletails=2C Petrobius brevistylis (that's=20 > probably just me)=2C disconcertingly=2C we failed to find any last year i= n=20 > a couple of visits to HH=2C and wondered if they had been extinguished=20 > locally by over-collecting. Perhaps this was just a weather thing on=20 > the days of those visits=2C though: yesterday=2C happily=2C they were=20 > distributed very widely along the bases of the cliffs in the seepage=20 > zones=2C present probably in the 1000s=2C ranging from medium to large in= =20 > size. These will all disappear into fissures in the cliffs for a long=20 > hibernation and probably for egg-laying=2C surprisingly early=2C in=20 > September. >=20 > Steve (Hfx) > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >=20 > Quoting Angus MacLean <cold_mac@hotmail.com>: > > Hi Steve: > > The two bumble bees with orange on the upper part of the abdomen are=20 > > B. ternarius & B. rufocinctus. The former is quite common in the=20 > > Valley & in Cape Breton so I assume over most of the province.=20 > > However ternarius is the average size of B. impatiens so I cannot=20 > > imagine the small size of so many that you describe. (Rufocinctus in=20 > > my experience is rare). > > > > Ternarius can be separated from rufocinctus by the shape of the=20 > > black on the thorax. There are a few exceptions where the shape is=20 > > somewhat ambiguous or the individual is worn. > > > > As for size there is much literature on bumble bees on the Net but I=20 > > have yet to see any size mentioned!! Presumably that means size does=20 > > not help in identification. > > > > I expect David McCorquodale will read this and solve the mystery. > > > > Angus > ############################################ >=20 > >> Date: Sun=2C 18 Aug 2013 18:10:55 -0300 > >> From: srshaw@Dal.Ca > >> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > >> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] bumblebee identity -- was Miner's Marsh-Kentvi= lle > >> > >> Yesterday we visited Mt Uniacke House grounds again ostensibly for > >> 'gathering'=2C while I spent most of my time 'hunting' in the old > >> greenhouse area and on the drumlin=2C but not finding much. Apart from > >> meadowhawk dragonflies and a few larger species=2C the only insect tha= t > >> was common was a small bumblebee -- seen literally in the 100s. I > >> assumed that it would be the same species as Angus's 25=2C below=2C > >> feeding on 'jewelweed'=2C but in checking the many Bombus impatiens in > >> BugGuide=2C it doesn't look like a match. > >> > >> The Mt U bumblebee was decidedly small and had the upper abdomen of > >> dark orange with the tip of the abdomen blackish=2C and would not be > >> much more than 10 mm in length. Of the Bombus group figured on > >> BugGuide=2C it most resembles B. ternarius=2C reported from Maine=2C t= hough > >> some images there put the length of B. ternarius a good bit longer > >> than my estimate. I took no photos -- is there any hope of guessing > >> the ID from this limited description? What about B. centralis? > >> > >> This species was less interested in goldenrod (everywhere=2C but some > >> flowers now are fading) than in what my daughter says is 'ironweed'=2C > >> which I initially assumed would be an alternative name for Angus's > >> 'jewelweed'=2C but not so. Jewelweed is apparently Impatiens spp=2C wi= th > >> pretty pink flowers=2C while the very abundant stuff that these bees > >> were visiting does look like the ironweed found on-line=2C with small > >> purple thistle-like heads=2C Vernonia spp.=2C of a different family. > >> > >> The only butterflies around in these open areas in ~2 hours of looking > >> were Common Wood Nymphs=2C though these were much l