Species composition and elevational distribution of bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus Latreille) in the East Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, India

The East Himalaya is one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems. However, very little is known about the abundance and distribution of many plant and animal taxa in this region. Bumble bees are a group of cold-adapted and high elevation insects that fulfil an important ecological and economi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ZooKeys 2019-06, Vol.851 (3), p.71-89
Main Authors: Streinzer, Martin, Chakravorty, Jharna, Neumayer, Johann, Megu, Karsing, Narah, Jaya, Schmitt, Thomas, Bharti, Himender, Spaethe, Johannes, Brockmann, Axel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Alpine ecosystems
Animalia
Apidae
Apoidea
Arthropoda
Asia
Bees
Biodiversity
Biodiversity & Conservation
Bumblebees
Central Asia
Distribution
Ecosystems
Flowering
Hexapoda
Hymenoptera
Identification and classification
India
Indian Sub-Continent and Himalayas
Insecta
Insects
Invertebrata
Pollinators
Species composition
Species diversity
Species Inventories
Zoological research
Zoology
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Summary:The East Himalaya is one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems. However, very little is known about the abundance and distribution of many plant and animal taxa in this region. Bumble bees are a group of cold-adapted and high elevation insects that fulfil an important ecological and economical function as pollinators of wild and agricultural flowering plants and crops. The Himalayan mountain range provides ample suitable habitats for bumble bees. Systematic study of Himalayan bumble bees began a few decades ago and the main focus has centred on the western region, while the eastern part of the mountain range has received little attention and only a few species have been verified. During a three-year survey, more than 700 bumble bee specimens of 21 species were collected in Arunachal Pradesh, the largest of the north-eastern states of India. The material included a range of species that were previously known from a limited number of collected specimens, which highlights the unique character of the East Himalayan ecosystem. Our results are an important first step towards a future assessment of species distribution, threat, and conservation. Clear elevation patterns of species diversity were observed, which raise important questions about the functional adaptations that allow bumble bees to thrive in this particularly moist region in the East Himalaya.
ISSN:1313-2989
1313-2970
DOI:10.3897/zookeys.851.32956