Contents: Preface. Introduction. 1. Material and methods. 2. Key to species females. 3. Key to species males. Descriptions: 1. B. asiaticus Morawitz, 1875. 2. B. avinoveillus Skorikov, 1914. 3. B. abnormis (Tkalcu) 1968. 4. B. biroi Vogt, 1911. 5. B. branickii (Radoszkowski, 1893). 6. B. breviceps smith, 1852. 7. B. cornutus Frison, 1933. 8. B. eximius Smith, 1852. 9. B. ferganicus Radoszkowski, 1893. 10. B. festivus Smith, 1861. 11. B. flavescens smith, 1852. 12. B. funerarius smith, 1852. 13. B. genalis Friese, 1918. 14. B. grahami Frison, 1933. 15. B. haemorrhoidealis Smith, 1852. 16. B. himalayanus (Skorikov, 1914). 17. B. hypnorum (Linnaeus, 1758). 18. B. Kashmirensis Friese, 1909. 19. B. Keriensis Morawitz, 1886. 20. B. ladakhensis Richards, 1928. 21. B. lemniscatus Skorikov, 1912. 22. B. Lepidus Skorikov, 1912. 23. B. lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761). 24. B. luteipes Richards, 1934. 25. B. melamurus Lepeleitier, 1836. 26. B. miniatus Bingham, 1897. 27. B. morawitzianus (Popov, 1931). 28. B. Mirus (Tkalcu, 1968). 29. B. nobilis Friese, 1905. 30. B. novus Frison, 1933. 31. B. oberti Morawitz, 1883. 32. B. parthenius Richards, 1934. 33. B. personatus Smith, 1879. 34. B. pressus Frison, 1935. 35. B. pyrosoma Morawitz, 1890. 36. B. rotundiceps Friese, 1916. 37. B. rufofasciatus Smith, 1852. 38. B. semenovianus Skorikov, 1914. 39. B. sibiricus (Fabricius, 1781). 40. B. simillimus Smith, 1852. 41. B. skorikovi Popov, 1927. 42. B. subtypicus Skorikov, 1914. 43. B. tanguticus Morawitz, 1887. 44. B. trifasciatus Smith, 1852. 45. B. tunicatus Smith, 1852. 46. B. turneri Richards, 1929. 47. B. waltoni Cockerell, 1910. Food preference. Recommendations. Abbreviations. Annexures. Bibliography. Index to the scientific names.
The book covers the first revisionary taxonomical work on Indian Bumblebees, it deals with 48 species out of which an extensive detail of 37 species has been provided, this book is an outcome of extensive and intensive collection surveys of all high altitude localities situated along the entire Himalayan belt and the hills of North-Eastern States. Detailed identification keys, good number of morphological illustrations, colored plates of population variations, many photographs of new host plants, new collection localities, has been provided.
This work not only compiles the hitherto scattered information on the taxonomic records of this genus, it also lays a very solid and stable foundation for the future workers intending to explore different aspects of these insects. (jacket)
