viii BOMB US DISTINGUENDUS 187 



12. BOMBUS DISTINGUENDUS, Morawitz. 

 Great Yellow Humble-bee. 



Synonym : elegans, Seidl (in part). 

 Related to B. latreillellus. 



Queen. Large ; length 20-23 rnm., expanse 39- 

 42 mm. 



Dusky yellow or greenish-yellow, soon fading to dingy 

 brownish-yellow, with an admixture of black hairs on the 

 head, and with a black or dark grey band across the middle 

 of the thorax. The yellow is somewhat deeper on the 2nd 

 segment of the abdomen than on the rest of the abdomen. 



In light specimens the black band on the thorax is 

 often more or less tinged with yellow at the sides. 



Coat longer and denser than in latreillellus, especially 

 on the basal segments of the abdomen. 



Head slightly shorter than in latreillellus. 



Worker. Length 1 1 - 1 8 mm. 

 Resembles the queen except in size. 



Male. Length 15-16 mm., expanse 28-31 mm. 

 Rather elongate. 



Coloured like the queen. Closely resembles light speci- 

 mens of latreillelhts, but there is no trace of black hairs on 

 the 2nd segment. 



The coat is rather denser and longer than in 

 latreillellus male. 



Antennae as 'in latreillellus; length of flagellum 6 mm. 



Armature almost identical with that of latreillellus. 



This humble-bee is rare in the south of England; 

 it was formerly taken occasionally in the London 

 district, and sporadic examples have been recorded 

 from Oxford, Bristol, Lyme Regis, Newton Abbott, 

 and Truro. In the Dover district I have only taken 



