Bumblebee colour pattern morphological assessment (Apidae)

Knowledge graph centered on Bumblebee colour pattern morphological assessment (Apidae) with 32 nodes and 111 connections. Top connected: Bombus, Bombus terrestris, Bombus appositus, Bombus impatiens, B. appositus.

Method synopsis

Systematic scoring of hair colour patterns on bumblebee specimens using standardized binary characters for body banding and tail coloration to assess polymorphism across species.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 1 paper using this protocol.

Procedure as described in the canonical source

Steps below were extracted from the paper that introduces this protocol — Genes Suggest Ancestral Colour Polymorphisms Are Shared across Morphologically Cryptic Species in Arctic Bumblebees (2015), PLoS One. Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Colour pattern scoring
   Scored colour patterns for sample of 1646 Alpinobombus specimens from across the distribution range using two principal binary characters: whether there are transverse yellow bands in hair on body (banded vs unbanded), and whether there is obvious pale hair on the 'tail' consisting of metasomal terga 4-6 (pale vs dark).
   Quantities: 1646 specimens scored for colour patternsDuration: Not specifiedConditions: Museum and field specimens examined
   Equipment: specimen examination tools

Typical Equipment

• specimen examination tools

Output Measurements

• colour pattern scores
• polymorphism frequencies

Papers Using This Protocol (1)

Species Studied With This Protocol