| Author | Prys-Jones, O.E. & Corbet, S.A. |
| Year | 1987 |
| Title | Bumblebees |
| ISBN | 0 85546 257 4 |
| Series | Naturalists’ Handbooks |
| Type | Book/Report |
| How Complete | Covers all UK species known at the time |
| Source | Naturalists’ Handbooks, 6, 92pp, The Richmond Publishing Co. Ltd |
| Illustrations | Line drawings accompany text, plus four plates of colour paintings of adults, four plates of line drawings of genitalia |
| Review (by Malcolm Storey) | Quick-Check Key to females/workers of common and widespread spp in the field, dichotomous key to pinned males and females (includes workers, although queens are easier). Colour paintings, at least of the female and genitalia drawings (Bombus: sting sheaths & genital capsules; Psithyrus: callosities on S6, & genital capsules) of most species. |
| Errata, Corrigenda & Comments | The colour paintings on the front cover are to be used in conjunction with the Quick Key, but I can find no guide to which species they refer to, other than by matching them to the other plates. Key III (p67) Female Cuckoo bees (*Psithyrus*) Couplet 3, 2nd alternative says "T6 shiny" and leads to 4 and then 5 where first alternative contradicts with "T6 not shiny". |
| Examine | in the field in the field ( Stereo Microscope is also useful) |
| Specimen Preparation | Quick-Check Key to females/workers of widespread common spp in the field (p. 55), dichotomous key to pinned specimens, preferably set with sting/genitalia everted. |
| Identification difficulty | For such large insects, Bumblebees, are surprisingly difficult to identify. Although the common species can be distinguished fairly easily by colour pattern, the rarer species often resemble them as do the common (and polymorphic) parasitic Cuckoo bees (Psithyrus). Critical identification is based on genitalia characters which are often quite subtle, and, in the case of Psithyrus females, require careful lighting. |
