BOMB US HELFERANUS 195 



16. BOMBUS HELFERANUS, Seidl. 

 Brown-banded Carder-bee. 



Synonyms : venustus, Smith, this also includes B. muscorum ; 

 variabilis, Schmiedeknecht ; venustus, Saunders. 



QUEEN. Small; length 16-18 mm., expanse 30- 

 32 mm. 



The colouring resembles that of B. muscorum (the descrip- 

 tion of which should be consulted), and of light examples 

 of B. agrorum. 



Head clothed with very pale hairs, often mixed with 

 black, especially on top and around the eyes. 



Tint of the thorax on top somewhat richer than in bright 

 specimens of agrorum, namely orange-brown, but this soon 

 fades : black hairs often appear among the orange-brown ; 

 when these black hairs are scarce sometimes they are so 

 few that a lens is needed to detect them they are con- 

 fined to the region just above and in front of the roots of 

 the wings ; when plentiful they are scattered evenly all 

 over the orange-brown, except in the centre. 



Abdomen pale yellow, dingy white in immature examples, 

 and pale brown in faded ones, with a brown band on the 2nd 

 segment, a narrower and much fainter one on the 3rd seg- 

 ment, this being often scarcely discernible and in fresh 

 specimens tinged with lemon, and sometimes a still 

 narrower and fainter one on the 4th segment : last seg- 

 ment black. In dark specimens the colouring of the 

 abdomen becomes somewhat darker, but black hairs never 

 appear among the pale ones as in agrorum. 



Coat rather shorter and less shaggy than in agrorum. 



Worker. Length 10-15 mm. 



Resembles the queen except in size. Very dark 

 specimens are occasionally found. 



Male. Length 13-14 mm., expanse 24-27 mm. 

 Coloured like the queen. 



