Bombus (Psithyrus) citrinus (Smith, 1854)

Bombus (Psithyrus) citrinus (Smith, 1854) View in CoL

Lemon Cuckoo-Bumble Bee

Notes: The junior synonym Apathus contiguous Cresson, 1863 , was described in part from a Connecticut syntype but a male from Delaware was designated as lectotype by the author (Cresson, 1916). This social parasite’s preliminary IUCN category is “Least Concern” (Hatfield et al. 2014), however its status in Connecticut is uncertain. The most recent sighting is a single iNaturalist observation on 14 August 2020 at the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the town of Westbrook (Middlesex County). This location has contributed bee records to the statewide wild bee monitoring program since 2011, yet this species has not been collected on premises during seasonal bee bowl trapping activities. Prior to this sighting, this species had not been detected in the state since 2010 despite the persistence of two of its hosts, Bombus impatiens and Bombus vagans (Hurd 1979) and its routine occurrence in New York State including New York City (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=48&s ubview=table&taxon_id=198859).