Bombus ruderatus (lat.) Is a species of Hymenoptera insects from the genus of bumblebees (a family of real bees), belonging to the subgenus Megabombus [1] . A rare species listed in the Red Books of Ukraine (under the name Bumblebee reddish) [2] , Moldova (Bumblebee reddish), Moscow Region (Bumblebee ruderatus, or crushed stone), Mari El (Bumblebee crushed, or bumblebee reddish), Krasnodar Territory (Bumblebee reddish, crushed bumblebee) [3] , Ryazan region (crushed bumblebee), Smolensk region (reddish bumblebee) [4] , Republic of Tatarstan (crushed bumblebee, or reddish), Chuvash Republic (reddish bumblebee) [5] and others [6] . It is commercially bred and brought into the Southern Hemisphere ( New Zealand and Chile ) [7] [8] .
| Bombus ruderatus |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Subtype : | Tracheo-breathing |
| Infraclass : | Winged insects |
| Treasure : | Fully Transformed Insects |
| Tribe : | Bombini Latreille , 1802 |
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| International scientific name |
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Bombus ruderatus ( Fabricius , 1775) [1] |
| Synonyms |
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Apis ruderata Fabricius, 1775 |
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Palearctic meadow and steppe landscapes: Europe , Crimea , the Caucasus , Russia , Ukraine , Asia Minor , North Africa [2] .
In 1885, B. ruderatus was introduced to New Zealand for pollination of clover, and in 1982 it was introduced to Chile for the same purpose [7] [9] . Since 1993, this type of bumblebee began to be recorded in Patagonia in Argentina , where it allegedly entered through the low-mountain sections of the Andes [8] [10] .
The body length of males is up to 20 mm, females are from 20 to 22 mm, workers are smaller (12-16 mm). The forewings are 17-19 mm long in females, 12-15 mm in working individuals, and 14-15 mm in males. The main color is yellowish (reddish) -black, the middle part of the chest and part of the abdomen are black (tergites 2-3), the posterior end of the abdomen is whitish (tergites 4-5). In females and working bumblebees, the antennae are 12-segmented, while in males they consist of 13 segments. Head strongly elongated, ovate. The cheeks are very long (in females the length of the cheeks exceeds the width of the base of the mandibles by 1.8 times). Long proboscis bumblebees; in females, the length of the tongue reaches 16 mm [2] [3] .
Pollinates plants from the families of Labrum , Compositae , Plumbagaceae , Legumes and others on which it feeds, collects pollen and nectar. It also pollinates important crops, such as cucumbers, pumpkins and other melons. They settle in underground nests, in the abandoned mink of rodents. In families up to 100 bumblebees. Uterus hibernate, which fly out in spring in May [2] [3] .
It is included in the subgenus Megabombus and the hortorum species group. Its color resembles a garden view. The species was first described in 1775 by the Danish entomologist Johann Christian Fabriz (1745-1808) under the original name Apis ruderata Fabricius, 1775 [1] [2] .
Bombus hortorum similarity
Between the species B. ruderatus and B. hortorum, there are many signs of similarity, which makes it difficult to distinguish them in the determination [10] . Due to the numerous morphological signs of similarity, many scientists have proposed re-evaluating their current status as two separate species [11] . Both species of bumblebees have similar sizes, similar coloration (black with yellowish-red), and males have a similar structure of the genitals [10] . Although, at first glance, they are difficult to determine, there are minor physical differences. For example, the width of two yellow stripes on the skutellum of the chest and on the pronotum is relatively equal to B. ruderatus , and in B. hortorum , the stripes on the scutellum tend to be narrower than the band on the pronotum [10] . Physical variations can exist within one species, which makes it important to use other keys to distinguish between the two species [10] [11] . A study of mitochondrial DNA showed a 6.2% difference for cytochrome oxidases-2 (COII) and a 9.2% difference in cytochrome B [10] . These percentages are significantly higher than the degree of divergence in other distinct species, which confirms that these two species actually represent different taxa [10] .
Rare view. The number is declining due to a decrease in the natural steppe habitats, plowing, grazing. Included in the Red Books of Ukraine [12] , the Republic of Tatarstan , the Chuvash Republic [5] , Mari El , Krasnodar Territory [3] , Moscow Region , Ryazan Region , Smolensk Region [4] , Rostov Region , Samara Region , Chelyabinsk Region , Belgorod Region , Tambov region and others [6] . He was also included in the Red Book of the USSR , in which he was categorized as “II. Rare species ” [3] .
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