Bombus friseanus Skorikov
friseanus Skorikov, 1933a:62, examined
hönei [hoenei] Bischoff, 1936:10, examined

TAXONOMIC STATUS: B. friseanus has been considered conspecific with B. pyrosoma (Bischoff, 1936; Tkalcu, 1961b; Sakagami, 1972) and has been considered conspecific with B. pyrosoma, B. formosellus, and B. flavothoracicus (= B. miniatus) (Williams, 1991 [pdf]). From COI barcodes, these taxa appear to remain discrete and are likely to be separate species. More evidence is awaited.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus incertus Morawitz
incertus Morawitz, 1881:229

DISTRIBUTION: Palaearctic Region.

Bombus keriensis Morawitz
keriensis Morawitz, 1887:199, examined
separandus Vogt, 1909:61, examined
kohli Vogt, 1909:61, examined, not of Cockerell, 1906:75 (= B. morio (Swederus))
kozlovi Skorikov, 1910b:413, replacement name for kohli Vogt, 1909:61
tenellus Friese, 1913:86
[alagesianus (Skorikov, [1923]:152 [Lapidariobombus]) published without description]
alagesianus Reinig, 1930:89
pamirus (Skorikov, 1931:226 [Lapidariobombus]) not of Skorikov, 1931:232 [= B. oberti Morawitz]
richardsi Reinig, 1935:341, not of Frison, 1930:6 (= B. rufipes Lepeletier)
tibetensis Wang, 1982:439, replacement name for richardsi Reinig, 1935:341
trilineatus Wang, 1982:441, examined

TAXONOMIC STATUS: Several of these nominal taxa have been treated as separate species (e.g. Skorikov, 1931), although B. keriensis has also long been considered to be a broadly-distributed and variable species, including both yellow-banded and white-banded individuals throughout much of its range (Reinig, 1935, 1939; Williams, 1991 [pdf]).

The taxon alagesianus is morphologically closely similar to B. keriensis. Evidence from comparisons of a few COI barcodes is inconclusive at present. Until more evidence to the contrary is available from more detailed studies of patterns of variation, I shall continue to treat them as parts of a species-complex.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental, Palaearctic Regions.

Bombus ladakhensis Richards
ladakhensis Richards, 1928a:336, examined, not infrasubspecific after Tkalcu, 1974b:335
phariensis Richards, 1930:642, examined, not infrasubspecific after Tkalcu, 1974b:336
variopictus Skorikov, 1933b:248, examined
reticulatus Bischoff, 1936:7, examined

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region, Palaearctic border.

Bombus miniatus Bingham
flavothoracicus Bingham, 1897:552, examined, not of Hoffer, 1889:49 (= B. campestris (Panzer))
miniatus Bingham, 1897:553, examined
eurythorax Wang, 1982:435, examined
stenothorax Wang, 1982:439, examined

TAXONOMIC STATUS: B. miniatus has been considered conspecific with B. pyrosoma, B. formosellus and B. friseanus (Williams, 1991 [pdf]).

Evidence of intermediates between B. miniatus and B. friseanus is not strong, but perhaps not least because so little material is available from where these taxa occur in close proximity in the eastern Himalaya. The few workers and males from this area that I have seen are difficult to assign to either taxon with any confidence, although the queens are closer to the colour pattern of B. miniatus (Williams, 1991 [pdf]). From COI barcodes, these taxa appear to remain discrete and are likely to be separate species. More evidence is awaited.

B. eurythorax and B. stenothorax are closely similar in morphology and colour pattern to B. miniatus. I know of no reason why these nominal taxa should not be considered conspecific.

NOMENCLATURE: With Psithyrus regarded as being a subgenus of the genus Bombus, B. flavothoracicus Bingham (1897) becomes a junior secondary homonym in Bombus of Psithyrus campestris var. flavothoracicus Hoffer (1889) (deemed to be subspecific, see ICZN, 1999: Article 45.6), and therefore B. flavothoracicus Bingham is invalid (ICZN, 1999: Article 57).

For this species, the oldest available name is B. miniatus, which becomes the valid name. The only subsequent publications of which I am aware that use the name B. flavothoracicus for this taxon as a species are by Tkalcu (1974b), Wang (1982) and Macior (1990), so this change of valid name is not a serious disruption of common usage.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus pyrosoma Morawitz
pyrosoma Morawitz, 1890:349, examined
pyrrhosoma Dalla Torre, 1896:544, unjustified emendation
formosellus (Frison, 1934:163 [Bremus]) examined
wutaishanensis (Tkalcu, 1968a:39 [Pyrobombus]) examined

TAXONOMIC STATUS: B. pyrosoma has been considered conspecific with B. friseanus (Bischoff, 1936) and has been considered conspecific with B. formosellus, B. friseanus, and B. flavothoracicus (= B. miniatus) (Williams, 1991 [pdf]). From COI barcodes, these taxa appear to remain discrete and are likely to be separate species. More evidence is awaited.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region, Palaearctic border.

Bombus richardsiellus (Tkalcu)
richardsiellus (Tkalcu, 1968a:42 [Pyrobombus]) examined

TAXONOMIC STATUS: From COI barcodes, this taxon appears to be discrete and is likely to be separate species. More evidence is awaited.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus rufipes Lepeletier
rufipes Lepeletier, [1835]:473
richardsi (Frison, 1930:6 [Bremus])

DISTRIBUTION: Sumatran Region.

Bombus rufofasciatus Smith
rufo-fasciatus [rufofasciatus] Smith, 1852b:48, examined
Prshewalskyi Morawitz, 1880:342
rufocinctus Morawitz, 1880:343, examined, not of Cresson, 1863:106 (= B. rufocinctus Cresson)
chinensis Dalla Torre, 1890[June 25]:139, replacement name for rufocinctus Morawitz, 1880:343; not of Morawitz, 1890[April 30]:352 (= B. chinensis (Morawitz))
waterstoni Richards, 1934:88, examined

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region, Palaearctic border.

Bombus semenovianus (Skorikov)
semenovianus (Skorikov, 1914a:127 [Lapidariobombus]) examined

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental, Palaearctic Regions.

Bombus simillimus Smith
simillimis Smith, 1852b:48, examined
[similis Smith, 1854:403, incorrect subsequent spelling]
[simillimus Dalla Torre, 1896:548, incorrect subsequent spelling]
grossiventris Friese, 1931:303, examined
oculatus (Frison, 1933:335 [Bremus]) examined
tonsus (Skorikov, 1933b:248 [Sibiricobombus]) examined
simillimus Williams, 1991:99, justified emendation

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus tanguticus Morawitz
tanguticus Morawitz, 1887:200

TAXONOMIC STATUS: Queens of B. tanguticus are morphologicaly very distinctive (discussed in Williams, 1991 [pdf]), so much so that Pittioni (1939d) considered the species warranted a subgenus of its own. The species is very rare in collections and the male remains apparently unknown (the species occurs at high altitudes on the Tibetan Plateau). Workers have recently been collected again in Qinghai.

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus avinoviellus (Skorikov)
avinoviellus (Skorikov, 1914a:126 [Mendacibombus]) examined
callophenax Cockerell, 1917:122, examined

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus convexus Wang
lugubris Morawitz, 1880:339, examined, not of Kriechbaumer, 1870:159 (= B. maxillosus Klug)
convexus Wang, 1979:190, examined

DISTRIBUTION: Oriental Region.

Bombus defector Skorikov
defector Skorikov, 1910a:329, examined

DISTRIBUTION: Palaearctic Region.