An annotated checklist of bumble bees with an analysis of patterns of description (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Bombini)

Williams, P. H. (1998)
Bulletin of The Natural History Museum (Entomology), 67: 79-152.

Synopsis

Bumble bees are among the minority of groups of organisms for which there is some evidence that most species have already been described. Nonetheless, a synoptic revision of the group has been delayed, in part by the difficulties imposed by an unusually high ratio of names to species (averaging more than 11). To explore some of the factors contributing to this phenomenon, historical and geographical trends in the naming of bumble bees are summarised. This shows that most taxa were named by European authors, beginning with the most widespread European species, moving later to not only the more narrowly distributed species and to species from other parts of the world, but also to taxa at progressively lower nomenclatural ranks, particularly within the more widespread European species. Nearly half of all of these names have been published since the last world-wide checklist in 1922. In attempting to bring this up to date, the present checklist adopts broad interpretations of species and recognises a total of 239 recent species (including the social parasites but excluding fossil taxa), with 24 new synonyms and 29 provisional synonyms. The list also includes notes on alternative interpretations of taxonomic status and on nomenclatural problems, drawing attention to those cases where further research is most urgently needed. In particular, suggestions are presented for an application to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature to use its Plenary Power in order to conserve current usage of the commonly used names atratus, balteatus, distinguendus, flavifrons, humilis, hyperboreus, mesomelas, mixtus, norvegicus, polaris, pyrenaeus, soroeensis and variabilis.