Bombus fraternus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Bombus fraternus is an endangered species of bumblebee known commonly as the Southern Plains bumblebee. It is native to the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. It is most often encountered in the southern Great Plains and along the Gulf Coastal Plain. This species has been found as far north as New Jersey and North Dakota, and as far south as Florida along the Gulf Coastal Plain into the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. This species was uncommon historically, but having faced declines in population; its estimated abundance is less than 15% of historical numbers.
Bumblebees are members of the genus Bombus within the insect order Hymenoptera and family Apidae. Bombus fraternus was first described by Frederick Smith in 1854. The southern plains bumble bee is classified under the subgenus Cullumanobombus.
The southern plains bumblebee is mostly black, with yellow bands across the thorax and abdomen that distinguish it from other bumblebees. This species is large in comparison to other bumblebees and is unusual among bumblebees because the hairs of the abdomen appear flattened rather than fluffy like most other bumblebees. Queens range in size from 0... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Plains Bumble Bee sighting in Dallas on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1019th most-seen of the 1412 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Plains Bumble Bee in Dallas on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Plains Bumble Bee sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Southern Plains Bumble Bee sightings, Dallas ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Denver (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Plains Bumble Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Dallas (9 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
