Bombus terrestris
(Linnaeus, 1758) · speciesAt a glance
Sources11 archives
Databases and archives Bombus terrestris's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation16 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility513 111 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI2 088 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics1 423 specimens↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinegenome & karyotype↗
Tree of SexTree of Sex Consortiumgenome & karyotype↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
Bombus terrestris, the buff-tailed bumblebee or large earth bumblebee, is one of the most numerous bumblebee species in Europe. It is one of the main species used in greenhouse pollination, and so can be found in many countries and areas where it is not native, such as Tasmania. Moreover, it is a eusocial insect with an overlap of generations, a division of labor, and cooperative brood care. The queen is monandrous which means she mates with only one male. B. terrestris workers learn flower colors and forage efficiently.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Size & morphology3
Life cycle & reproduction1
Compounds documented for Bombus terrestris across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile5 classes
Documented compounds89 total
| Compound | Class | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| (+)-(4R,5S,7R)-13-Hydroxynootkatone | present | NPASS | |
| (+)-Nootkatone | present | NPASS | |
| (1aR,4aR,7R,8aR)-7-hydroxy-1a,4a-dimethyl-7-prop-1-en-2-yl-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-3H-naphtho[1,8a-b]oxiren-2-one | present | NPASS | |
| (1aR,7R,7bS)-1a-methyl-7-propan-2-yl-2,3,5,6,7,7b-hexahydronaphtho[1,2-b]oxiren-4-one | present | NPASS | |
| (1r,2r)-p-Menth-3-en-1,2-diol | present | NPASS | |
| (1S,2S)-2-methyl-8-propan-2-yl-3,4-dihydro-1H-naphthalene-1,2,5-triol | present | NPASS | |
| (1S,2S,6S,7R,8S)-1,5-dimethyl-8-propan-2-yltricyclo[4.4.0.02,7]dec-4-en-3-one | present | NPASS | |
| (1S,4R,4aS,6R)-4,4a-dimethyl-6-prop-1-en-2-yl-2,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydro-1H-naphthalen-1-ol | present | NPASS | |
| (1S,4R,4aS,6S,8aS)-4,8a-dimethyl-6-prop-1-en-2-yl-1,2,3,4a,5,6,7,8-octahydronaphthalene-1,4-diol | present | NPASS | |
| (2R,4aS,7R,8aR)-4a-Methyl-1-methylidene-7-(prop-1-en-2-yl)decahydronaphthalen-2-ol | present | NPASS |
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Bombus terrestris has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
Besides the big genome in the nucleus, cells carry a small, circular loop of DNA inside the cell's energy factories — the mitochondria. It is inherited almost only from the mother and is a leftover from ancient bacteria that moved into the cell. The mitochondrial markers above (ND*, COX, CYTB…) are read from exactly this loop. Outer ring = one strand, inner ring = the other.
The complete instruction manual Bombus terrestris carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
2n 365×GoaT · Animal Chromosome Counts Database · GoaT · Tree of Sex Database · GoaT · Bee Chromosome Database +2
2n 181×GoaT · Tree of Sex Database
Sequencing statusassembly quality — how far to trust these numbers
Assembly level tells you how finished the sequence is — from fragmented contigs, through scaffolds, up to a full chromosome-level assembly. BUSCO % estimates completeness: the share of genes expected to be present that were actually found. These describe the data quality, not the organism.
Record type513 111 records
Origin
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions42 of 106 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| MZLUlocation not on record | 2 762 |
| Mons, BE | 1 777 |
| Zürich, CH | 1 431 |
| South Kensington, GB | 1 250 |
| Bern, CH | 847 |
| MWLRlocation not on record | 688 |
| ULglocation not on record | 663 |
| Philadelphia, US | 614 |
| SLU Artdatabankenlocation not on record | 484 |
| Musee d'Histoire Naturallelocation not on record | 459 |
| New Zealand Arthropod Collectionlocation not on record | 384 |
| Coimbra, PT | 355 |
| Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record | 283 |
| Natural History Museum Rotterdamlocation not on record | 270 |
| Helsinki, FI | 246 |
| Tallinn, EE | 220 |
| Gothenburg, SE | 212 |
| Museum Ludovicae Ulricae, Zoology Institute of the University of Uppsalalocation not on record | 211 |
| NMOKlocation not on record | 141 |
| Naturéum — Muséum cantonal des sciences naturelles, Lausanne, Département Zoologielocation not on record | 124 |
| Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau Frick | Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Fricklocation not on record | 105 |
| Wuzhou, CN | 93 |
| Provincia di Livornolocation not on record | 90 |
| Ghent, BE | 81 |
| PRAZlocation not on record | 79 |
| Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallerylocation not on record | 75 |
| Natuurpuntlocation not on record | 72 |
| Bonn, DE | 68 |
| Washington, US | 63 |
| Cambridge, US | 61 |
| Tilburg, NL | 57 |
| Stockholm, SE | 57 |
| Auckland, NZ | 54 |
| Museum of Zoology at the University of Bergen, Invertebrate Collectionlocation not on record | 52 |
| BioFokuslocation not on record | 45 |
| Salzburg, AT | 44 |
| Museo civico di Storia naturale Giacomo Doria di Genova | Giacomo Doria Natural History Museum in Genoalocation not on record | 40 |
| Trondheim, NO | 39 |
| KZMlocation not on record | 38 |
| SGAV-and-NHMDlocation not on record | 38 |
| Florida State Collection of Arthropods, The Museum of Entomologylocation not on record | 37 |
| Tartu, EE | 37 |
| NCMGlocation not on record | 37 |
| Museum zu Allerheiligen Schaffhausenlocation not on record | 35 |
| Muzeum Górnośląskie w Bytomiulocation not on record | 35 |
| UAclocation not on record | 34 |
| Dhaka, BD | 31 |
| Universidad Miguel Hernándezlocation not on record | 28 |
| CBDClocation not on record | 26 |
| NHMOlocation not on record | 26 |
| QVMAGlocation not on record | 24 |
| ARTlocation not on record | 23 |
| Frauenfeld, CH | 19 |
| Sevilla, ES | 16 |
| IMEDEAlocation not on record | 16 |
| UMUlocation not on record | 16 |
| Geneva, CH | 15 |
| Fribourg, CH | 15 |
| San Carlos de Bariloche, AR | 13 |
| Laboratory of Systematic Entomology, The Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japanlocation not on record | 13 |
| Museums Victorialocation not on record | 13 |
| Metsähallituslocation not on record | 13 |
| Universität Zürich, Naturhistorisches Museumlocation not on record | 12 |
| New Haven, US | 12 |
| Wellington, NZ | 12 |
| PRUNlocation not on record | 12 |
| Naturkundliche Sammlung Urilocation not on record | 11 |
| Ugentlocation not on record | 11 |
| Beltsville, US | 9 |
| DPIlocation not on record | 8 |
| Chicago, US | 8 |
| 8 | |
| Uniwersytet Łódzkilocation not on record | 7 |
| Banyoles, ES | 7 |
| ZSMlocation not on record | 7 |
| Champaign, US | 7 |
| UGRlocation not on record | 6 |
| DFlocation not on record | 6 |
| Kushiro City Museumlocation not on record | 6 |
| neflocation not on record | 5 |
| East Lansing, US | 5 |
| UCRClocation not on record | 5 |
| Los Angeles, US | 4 |
| Naturmuseum Oltenlocation not on record | 4 |
| AGClocation not on record | 4 |
| Bavarian State Collection of Zoologylocation not on record | 4 |
| IENElocation not on record | 4 |
| WIlocation not on record | 4 |
| Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciêncialocation not on record | 3 |
| US | 3 |
| Departamento de Zoologia, Universidad de La Lagunalocation not on record | 3 |
| Essig Museum of Entomologylocation not on record | 2 |
| Nunoa, Santiago, CL | 2 |
| Natural History Museum, Londonlocation not on record | 2 |
| ZMAAlocation not on record | 2 |
| Naturmuseum Solothurnlocation not on record | 2 |
| Cleveland Museum of Natural History, OH (CLEV)location not on record | 2 |
| Paris, FR | 2 |
| NTNU-VMlocation not on record | 2 |
| University of Central Floridalocation not on record | 1 |
| Nijmegen, NL | 1 |
| Sydney, AU | 1 |
| Bando, JP | 1 |
| Chiba, JP | 1 |
| ENSAT - L'Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Toulouselocation not on record | 1 |
| OSUClocation not on record | 1 |
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Where the DNA of Bombus terrestris was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.