Bombus eximius
Collected on Taiwan, this bumble bee was, for a time, considered to be its own species, B. latissimus. However, intermediate forms between the mainland and the island were found on the mainland near the island (make sense?). So, way back in the 30′s the island form was lumped. Later someone looked at the DNA of the Taiwanese bees and ... no difference, so it remains a beautifully colored island variant of a more widespread species.
All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site:https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/
Photography Information:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY
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sam droege












